‘If not you, then who?’: Ukrainian commander asks Tesla CEO Elon Musk for help amid Russian invasion

As the war between Russia and Ukraine has entered its third month in May, the situation in the battle remains grave with a lot of casualties from both sides. In the midst of the devastations, a Ukrainian commander reached out to Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

A Ukrainian commander in Mariupol appealed directly to Elon Musk, urging him to intervene in the war and help those who are currently trapped in the city amid the Russian invasion. The commander further said, “If not you, then who?”

Serhiy Volyna, commander of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade, reached out to the world’s richest man for help in the war, saying that the only reason he created a Twitter account was to make sure that his message reaches Musk.

While tweeting as the SpaceX founder, Volyna said, “People say you come from another planet to teach people to believe in the impossible. Our planets are next to each other, as I live where it is nearly impossible to survive. Help us get out of Azovstal to a mediating country. If not you, then who?”

The Ukrainian military commander, as per AFP reports, urged “every person on planet Earth” to help make sure that Musk saw his call to help. Volyna urged Musk to help those trapped in Mariupol to escape to a mediating country.

This comes just as Kyiv announced that over 1000 Ukrainian troops remained stranded in the city of Azovstal, most of them injured, and were taking shelter in Soviet-era bunkers after Russian forces had taken control of Mariupol.

Last month, reports of a massacre also emerged from the town of Bucha, which is near Kyiv. It was reported that many civilians had been raped, tortured, and then shot at a point-blank range by Russian forces in Bucha, which attracted international criticism for Russia.

Elon Musk, who is the world’s richest man, has recently bought out the social media platform Twitter for USD 44 billion. Musk also revealed recently that he has received “threats” from some Russian sources for allegedly helping Ukrainian forces launch attacks on the country.

(With inputs from agencies)

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