"He did this while kids are dying in trenches" — Elon Musk criticizes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife for posing for Vogue

Tech billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has sparked controversy with his latest criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska.

On February 20, 2025, tech mogul Elon Musk took to his X account to share a tweet featuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska from a 2022 Vogue photoshoot.

Musk's tweet included a caption suggesting that Zelenskyy participated in the photoshoot while children were dying in the ongoing war, referencing the Russia-Ukraine war.

"He did this while kids are dying in trenches on the war front," Musk wrote.

The tweet followed Musk's earlier accusation, in which he held Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy responsible for the untimely death of American journalist Gonzalo Lira.

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Elon Musk accuses Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of prioritizing Vogue photoshoot amid war

On Thursday, February 20, 2025, Elon Musk took to his X account to criticize Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The tech mogul shared a screenshot of a Daily Mail article, highlighting the criticism and concerns about the couple's decision to pose for a glamorous magazine cover amid the ongoing war with Russia. The headline read:

"'Read the room!' Zelensky and wife raise eyebrows by posing for glossy Vogue cover with famed photographer Annie Leibowitz as Ukraine's war against Russia rages on."

This was not the only tweet directed at Zelenskyy by Musk. On Wednesday, February 19, 2025, the tech mogul took to his X account and retweeted a post by @RapidResponse47, which highlighted America's stable election system, noting that elections were held even during World War II and the Civil War.

In his response, Musk retweeted:

"Zelensky cannot claim to represent the will of the people of Ukraine unless he restores freedom of the press and stops canceling elections!" Musk commented.

As soon as Elon Musk posted his tweet, numerous users responded, including @MostlyPeacefull, who shared a screenshot of a tweet from American journalist Gonzalo Lira dated August 31, 2023.

In the tweet, Lira indicated that he was planning to leave Ukraine and seek asylum in Hungary. Unfortunately, it was his final tweet. In response, the tech mogul alleged that Volodymyr Zelenskyy was responsible for Lira's death.

"Right now, I'm about to try to get out of Ukraine, and seek political asylum in Hungary. Either I'll cross the border and make it to safety, or I'll be disappeared by the Kiev regime. This is what's happened to me over the past three months 1/25," the Lira tweet reads.

"Zelensky killed an American journalist!" Musk tweeted.

According to the Helsinki Times, Gonzalo Lira, a Chilean-American journalist and YouTuber, went missing in late April 2022 during the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Lira, who had been openly critical of the Ukrainian government and had posted videos discussing the war, was later detained for eight months on charges of "justifying Russia's military actions in Ukraine."

On January 12, 2024, Lira's father, Gonzalo Lira Sr., reported that his son had passed away in a Ukrainian prison at the age of 55. This was subsequently confirmed by the U.S. Department of State and Chile's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with pneumonia being listed as the cause of death.

The tensions between Elon Musk and Volodymyr Zelenskyy have been fueled by their contrasting views on the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, with the two engaging in public disagreements over the years.

As of now, Zelenskyy has not commented on Musk's recent claims.