Amid rising tensions between Elon Musk and former U.S. President Donald Trump, a Russian lawmaker has suggested Musk could seek political asylum in Russia - though it seems more symbolic than serious.
Dmitry Novikov, a senior member of Russia's State Duma and part of the Communist Party, floated the idea following a public spat between Musk and Trump. In an interview with Russian state news agency TASS, Novikov said, "I think that Musk has a completely different game... but if he did [seek asylum], Russia, of course, could provide it."
Novikov added that Musk's disputes are more about "tactical differences" with current U.S. politics rather than anything requiring asylum, and he downplayed the idea of a total break with the political establishment.
This came after Steve Bannon, Trump's former White House strategist, called Musk an "illegal alien" and demanded his deportation, even urging the government to seize SpaceX under the Defense Production Act. Bannon's outburst followed Musk's threat to shut down SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft missions to the International Space Station a move Bannon framed as a national security risk.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment directly, calling it "a domestic issue of the United States" and stating Russia has no plans to interfere.