Embattled Billionaire Elon Musk Caught Cozying Up To Sanctioned, Pro-Putin Russian TV Presenter At World Cup Final

Elon Musk was caught alongside a sanctioned pro-Putin Russian TV presenter over the weekend while watching the World Cup final between Argentina and France, RadarOnline.com has learned.

The concerning interaction came on Sunday as Musk and Nailya Asker-Zade posed for a selfie together inside the Qatar World Cup soccer stadium.

"Argentina beat France on penalties in the World Cup final,” Asker-Zade wrote alongside the photo of her and Musk together, according to Business Insider. “I agree with Elon Musk's assessment of the match: 'A duel in the desert. A better game could not have been wished for.'”

“I saw how he shared his emotions about what is happening on the field on his Twitter," she continued. "I also have a lot of bright emotions — I will tell you soon."

Also surprising was a TikTok video that later surfaced showing the 51-year-old Twitter CEO and the 35-year-old sanctioned Russian TV presenter cozying up to one another during the soccer match and speaking extensively while watching the game.

Asker-Zade, who works as a presenter at the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company, was sanctioned earlier this year by both the United Kingdom and Canada following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

The 35-year-old Russian State TV host is suspected of being in a relationship with Andrei Kostin, a Russian banking oligarch, and was accused of benefitting from Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine.

"As such, [Asker-Zade] is associated with two entities (VGTRK and Kostin), both of which is or has been involved in obtaining a benefit from or supporting the Government of Russia by carrying on business as a Government of Russia-affiliated entity," the UK said earlier this year when announcing the sanctions against Asker-Zade.

It is not known what else Musk and Asker-Zade spoke about during their time together in Qatar on Sunday, but other pictures from the World Cup final showed Musk alongside high-profile individuals and world leaders such as Jared Kushner and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Musk recently came under fire after abruptly suspending a number of journalists from Twitter over allegations the reporters “doxed” the Tesla and SpaceX founder.