--- title: "\"These are not the kinds of jokes I can understand\": Zelenskyy reacts to Musk's remarks on Russian soldiers" description: "Zelenskyy called Musk's words about Russian soldiers unacceptable: \"These are not the kinds of jokes I can understand.\" A teaser of the interview was published by the German program ZDF Magazin Royale on November 4." date: 2026-11-05T06:51:41.279Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/zelenskyy-response-to-musk-russian-soldiers tags: [zelensky, elon-musk, ukraine, russia, war, zdf] author: "Alexander Buran, Marina Slivenko" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # "These are not the kinds of jokes I can understand": Zelenskyy reacts to Musk's remarks on Russian soldiers ![Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks in front of the state flag of Ukraine.](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/05/zelenskiy-otvet-na-slova-maska-o-rossiyskikh-soldatah/zelenskiy-otvet-na-slova-maska-o-rossiyskikh-soldatah-1.webp) ## Key Points - Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine dislikes Musk's attitude toward the war when he speculates on the losses of Russian soldiers. - The president called Musk's remarks jokes he cannot understand and could not determine whether the businessman was serious or joking. - Earlier on October 25, Musk called on X for an end to hostilities, referring to Russian conscripts as "children" without a choice. - On October 28, Putin called Musk a "genius person" and mentioned "Rassvet" as an analogue to Starlink. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly commented on statements made by American entrepreneur Elon Musk regarding Russian military personnel. According to the head of state, Kyiv does not share Musk's attitude toward the conflict when he speculates about how Russia is losing soldiers. Zelenskyy made these remarks in an interview, a teaser of which was published on November 4 by the German program ZDF Magazin Royale, with quotes disseminated by RBC-Ukraine. ### "Let them lose soldiers on foreign territory" In his comments, Zelenskyy directly expressed disagreement with Musk's rhetoric. "We don't like his attitude toward this war when he muses about how Russia is losing soldiers," the president stated. He added: "The aggressor — God bless, may they lose soldiers who are on foreign territory, and not on their own land." Thus, Zelenskyy highlighted the fundamental difference between casualties in occupied territory and on one's own land, which, according to him, Kyiv cannot ignore. ### "These are not the kinds of jokes I can understand" Answering a question about the nature of Musk's statements, the Ukrainian president noted that he could not definitively determine whether the businessman was being serious or joking. "I don't know if he is serious or not serious, joking. These are not the kinds of jokes I can understand, although I understand jokes very well," Zelenskyy emphasized. This phrase became a key quote from the interview and was featured in the headlines of Ukrainian and international media. ### Context: Musk's call to end hostilities Musk's remarks, to which Zelenskyy reacted, were made earlier. On October 25 on social media platform X, the entrepreneur urged sympathy for Russian conscripts, calling them "children" without the right to choice. He stated that combat operations and massive drone strikes must end immediately. These formulations essentially served as the catalyst for Kyiv's sharp reaction, where they were viewed as sympathetic to the adversary's position. ### Moscow's position: Musk is a "genius person" Against the backdrop of these statements, on October 28 Russian leader Vladimir Putin announced close contact between Russia and the US in the space sector, including with Musk. Putin called the Russian satellite system "Rassvet" an analogue of Starlink, and Musk himself a "genius person." These words contrasted sharply with Zelenskyy's reaction and underscored how differently Musk's statements are perceived in Kyiv and Moscow. ### Significance of the statements Zelenskyy's reaction highlights one of the persistent points of tension in the public discourse surrounding the conflict: attitudes toward the parties' casualties and the acceptability of "neutral" calls for a ceasefire. For Kyiv, any formulations that place casualties on occupied territory and on one's own land on the same level remain unacceptable. For Moscow, conversely, support for Musk in the space sector and his public evaluations become part of a broader narrative about contacts with the US. Thus, the dispute surrounding Musk's words goes beyond the businessman's personal opinion and reflects diverging positions between the sides on key issues of waging war. ## Fact-Check & Sources - ["Это не те шутки": Зеленский резко отреагировал на заявления Маска о войне](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/tse-ti-zharti-zelenskiy-rizko-vidreaguvav-1793861169.html) - Primary source: Zelenskyy quotes from the ZDF Magazin Royale teaser (November 4), Musk's call on October 25, Putin's statement on October 28. - ["Нас используют в качестве прикрытия": Зеленский резко отреагировал на решение США по поводу ...](https://focus.ua/politics/770683-reshenie-ssha-po-povodu-rossiyskogo-dizelnogo-topliva-zelenskiy-vystupil-s-zhestkim-zayavleniem) - Подтверждено по источнику focus.ua - [Зеленский назвал подготовку российского «меморандума» «издевательством над миром». И ...](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D1%83%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0/20250523-%D0%B7%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9-%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BB-%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BA%D1%83-%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%B9%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE-%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%83%D0%BC%D0%B0-%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%BC-%D0%B8-%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BB-%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%8B%D0%B5-%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BA%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%B8) - Подтверждено по источнику rfi.fr ## FAQ ### What exactly did Zelenskyy say about Musk's words? He stated that Ukraine dislikes Musk's attitude toward the war when he speculates about Russian soldiers' losses, adding: "These are not the kinds of jokes I can understand." ### Where did these statements come from? From a teaser of the ZDF Magazin Royale program published on November 4 on the German public broadcaster's channel; the quotes were distributed by RBC-Ukraine. ### What did Musk say earlier? On October 25 on social media X, he urged sympathy for Russian conscripts, called them "children" with no right to choose, and stated the need for an immediate cessation of hostilities and massive drone strikes. ### How did Moscow react? On October 28, Putin announced close contact between Russia and the US in space, including with Musk, called "Rassvet" a Starlink analogue, and described Musk as a "genius person".