Russia claims Elon Musk requested political asylum

Deputy Speaker of the State Duma (Russian Parliament - Ed.) from the New People party, Vladislav Davankov, stated today at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum that Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had allegedly received a request for political asylum from American billionaire Elon Musk.

"I think this is complete nonsense. Yes, Musk is an eccentric and unique person, but I don't believe that if he were to leave the United States, he would go to the Russia," the political analyst said.

Reiterovych noted that Elon Musk, as an American billionaire, would have no trouble relocating to any other country.

"Maybe, by the way, they (the Russians) just confused something with his father, who recently traveled to Russia. His name is Errol Musk — very similar names, and if you're not paying close attention, it's easy to mix them up," the expert suggested.

At the same time, he reiterated that if the claim is indeed about Elon Musk, it seems more like "another bit of nonsense being spread by the Russians."

"Because it's very hard to imagine. And let's put it this way: even if we assume for a second that Elon Musk decided to do something like this, I think the one person who would be firmly against it — and who would be most affected by it — is US President Donald Trump. So it's far from certain that Musk would even be allowed to do such a thing," he concluded.

Musk-Trump conflict

A loud and public conflict erupted earlier this month between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump.

The two began trading statements after Musk ceased to be one of Trump's close advisers — already seen as a sign of the collapse of one of modern America's most influential political alliances.

The SpaceX and Tesla Inc. owner called the president's tax and spending bill disgusting, while Trump expressed disappointment in his former adviser, calling him crazy.

Musk, who spent hundreds of millions of dollars supporting Trump's campaign in last year's election, quickly fired back on social media, saying the president was ungrateful and would not have made it to the White House without his backing.

Amid the clash, Trump said the easiest way to save money in the federal budget was to cut off government contracts with Musk-owned companies.

That same day, Tesla shares fell by 14%, and the company's market value dropped by over $150 billion — the largest single-day loss in Tesla's history.

However, on the morning of June 11, Musk publicly backed down, admitting that he had gone too far with his harsh posts about Trump.