Elon Musk's father has claimed convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is still alive, insisting it is 'absurd' to believe he died in jail.

Errol Musk, 79, made the remarks during a primetime interview on Russian state television controlled by Vladimir Putin, where he repeated conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein's death.

Epstein was found dead in his prison cell on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, in a case that fuelled widespread speculation.

His death was officially ruled a suicide by New York City’s chief medical examiner, though conspiracy theories have persisted in the years since.

'In my opinion, it's absurd to think that he is dead. It's ridiculous,' he said.

This prompted groans from the studio audience, but he went on: 'The prison guards have come out to say that he was swapped out the night before he was supposed to commit suicide.

'The cameras were off at the wrong time, the guards went to sleep.

'It's absolutely absurd to think that this man is [dead]. He's alive and well.'

Errol is on a visit to Russia.

He said last year that 'as a family… we are a little bit in awe of Mr. Putin'.

At the weekend, Errol was seen at a Moscow cathedral for a Russian Orthodox Easter midnight service attended by the Kremlin dictator.

The Russian president casually walked into the midnight cathedral service, apparently wearing heavy makeup, and looking weary and tired.

Putin's annual appearance at the Christ the Saviour Cathedral near the Kremlin, to mark Orthodox Easter, came soon after he called a 32-hour ceasefire in the war - which his own troops violated.

The Easter ceasefire was broken by Russia after it attacked Ukrainian positions with drones on Saturday.

Ukraine's military command reported nearly 470 Russian violations of the truce.

In a festive message at the Sunday service, Putin said: 'The great holiday of Easter fills the hearts of millions of people with sincere joy, faith in the all-conquering power of life, in the triumph of love, goodness, and justice, and unites us around centuries-old paternal traditions, undeniable spiritual, moral values, and ideals.'

As his troops broke his declared ceasefire, he praised 'our heroes - the participants and veterans of the special military operation'.

Errol, who is a regular visitor to Russia, has previously praised Putin and even blamed his son for falling out with President Donald Trump.

He is in Russia on a two-week trip focusing on 'research projects with Russian scientists', according to Moscow Times.

President Putin on Thursday declared a 32-hour ceasefire over the Orthodox Easter weekend, ordering Russian forces to halt hostilities from 4pm on Saturday until the end of Sunday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised to abide by the ceasefire, describing it as an opportunity to build on peace initiatives. But he warned there would be a swift military response to any violations.

Russia quickly violated their own ceasefire after attacking Ukrainian positions with drones on Saturday evening, as Serhii Kolesnychenko, a communications officer for Ukraine's 148th Separate Artillery Brigade, said: 'The ceasefire is not being observed by the Russian side.'