Support The Moscow Times!

How Do You Like Kalashnikov's New Electric Car, Elon Musk?

Yaplakal.com / Twitter

Kalashnikov's release of an electric concept car on Thursday — which it claimed would compete with Elon Musk's Tesla brand — sparked a flurry of meme activity on Russian social media. 

Elon Musk has featured as a central character in the world of Russian memes ever since his company, SpaceX, launched a red Tesla car into space last February. 

Not to be outdone by Musk's high-tech feat, Russians offered their own examples of ingenuity peculiar to the country (and poking fun at its problems), tagging their posts with the challenge: "How do you like that, Elon Musk?"

Kalashnikov's bold claim on Thursday that its new car could compete with Musk's Tesla seemed to have been tailor-made for the meme craze.


Here is a selection of our favorites below:

"Kalashnikov just released an electric car that will compete with Tesla. Let's go!"

"How do you like that, Elon Musk?"

"My neighbor bought himself a domestically-produced electric car."

This meme imagines Kalashnikov's new electric car flying out in space like Musk's Tesla in February.

"Musk is gutted."

"Kalashnikov, I await your job offers," says a user who suggested adding Christian icons to the displays of the new Kalashnikov cars.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more