Musk affirms Ukraine 'witnessed coup d'etat in 2014
2 Min Read
The billionaire called Viktor Yanukovych's victory "dodgy," but insisted that the coup was unassailable.
-
Elon Musk departs the Phillip Burton Federal Building and United States Court House in San Francisco on Jan. 24, 2023. (AP)
Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, claimed that a coup d'état took place in Ukraine in 2014 following the shift of Kiev's administration. "That election was arguably dodgy, but no question that there was indeed a coup," Musk tweeted.
That election was arguably dodgy, but no question that there was indeed a coup
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 25, 2023
The billionaire stated on Saturday that while "the election"—presumably the 2010 election that saw Viktor Yanukovych elected president—was "arguably dodgy," what came next "was indeed a coup."
The tweet was in response to a post by @KanekoaTheGreat, which featured the front page of an article by the University of Chicago Professor John Mearsheimer headlined "Why the Ukraine Crisis Is The West's Fault."
The article, which dates from 2014 and is headed "The Liberal Delusions That Provoked Putin," contends that Western meddling in Ukrainian politics and NATO expansion, rather than "Russian aggression," are to blame for Crimea's accession to Russia.
Read next: Musk says Ukraine's victory "unlikely", offers "peace plan"
Musk seemed to at least partially concur with Mearsheimer's explanation that "for Putin, the illegal overthrow of Ukraine's democratically-elected and pro-Russian president - which he correctly called a 'coup' - was the final straw."
He also endorsed Kanekoa's earlier post, which included a video clip of All In podcast host David Sacks asserting that the US "courted" the war in Ukraine. In the video, Nuland was compared to Anthony Fauci, a former medical advisor to the Biden administration, who frequently drew Musk's ire.
Accurate assessment by @DavidSacks
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 25, 2023
When Ukraine chose to halt its policy aimed at joining the EU in 2013, protests broke out. Viktor Yanukovych, the nation's former president, was deposed as a result of this choice, which led to a coup and his forced exile to Russia. In clashes between protesters and security forces, more than 100 people died.
Read next: How Elon Musk became a key geopolitical figure - Axios
The Ukrainian government launched a military operation against the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in April 2014 as a result of their refusal to acknowledge the newly installed central government, which they believed to be the result of a coup.
