Elon Musk speculates on the conquest of Odessa by the Russians: “It’s the only question left”

South African billionaire Elon Musk, known for his controversial comments about the war in Ukraine, has now speculated on the Russian capture of Odessa, saying it is the “only question” that remains to be resolved about ending the conflict.

“Whether Russia will eventually take Odessa is the only question left, in my opinion,” he commented on a news story about recent Ukrainian withdrawals from the east of the country, where the Russians are advancing in several directions.

“Russia will certainly not rest until all regions incorporated into the Russian constitution (Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk and Zaporozhye) are taken. This is their proclaimed policy,” he said, referring to Vladimir Putin’s September 2022 announcement that Russia had annexed these regions.

In his comments, Musk also refers to the fact that Moscow’s armed forces do not fully control these territories that Russia claims, a fact that has not changed since Putin’s proclamation on September 30, 2022.

His comments were picked up by several Russian newspapers, including Lenta, one of Russia’s most popular news sites.

Dmitry Medvedev said that Odessa must “come home”, to Russia

Earlier this year, after the Ukrainian withdrawal from Avdiivka and other victories by the Russian military at the front in the preceding months, one of Moscow’s most senior officials, Dmitry Medvedev, spoke again about the capture of Odessa.

“About Odessa I can simply say: Odessa, come home! And that’s it. I waited for Odessa in the Russian Federation, including because of the history of this city, the people who live there, the language they speak. This is our Russian, Russian city,” he said in an interview on February 22 with Russian newspapers, including the TASS agency.

He also said the “Kiev clique” is short-sighted in its actions to remove monuments and “destroy other Russian cultural heritage” in Odessa.

“In this way, it simply alienates some of the people, even those who have been loyal to their government until recently. Well, in general, this seems monstrous, because we are talking about opposition to the entire Russian culture and our common path,” he said, as the authorities in Odessa removed the monument to Empress Catherine II as early as December 2022 of Russia from the city.

Better known outside Russia as Catherine the Great, she has a controversial reputation in Ukraine for promoting Russian imperialism and liquidating two autonomous Ukrainian entities.

The city of Odesa, Ukraine’s largest port, has special significance for Russians for several reasons, including the fact that its control was fought hard during World War II, the “Great Patriotic War”, as Russia calls it.

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