Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia’s Chechen Republic, claimed that a Tesla Cybertruck he allegedly received from Elon Musk had been sent to the “Northern Military District” for use by Russian troops in Ukraine. According to Kadyrov, the electric vehicle was fitted with a machine gun and was performing well in combat before it suddenly stopped working. He blamed Musk for remotely disabling the vehicle, writing on Telegram that “Elon Musk behaved badly. He gives expensive gifts from the bottom of his heart and then remotely disconnects them.”
Kadyrov’s accusations came after he shared footage in August of himself driving the Cybertruck in the Chechen capital, Grozny, thanking Musk for what he claimed was a personal gift. The vehicle was reportedly sent to the frontline as part of Russia’s ongoing military operations in Ukraine, where Kadyrov claimed it was being used effectively before it was allegedly deactivated.
Kadyrov driving his Tesla Cybertruck with 12.7mm machine gun mounted, sent to him by Elon Musk.
He says he’ll send it to Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/UoKdmFOeeD
— Clash Report (@clashreport) August 17, 2024
Elon Musk firmly denied Kadyrov’s claims, taking to his social media platform to respond to reports of the supposed gift by writing, “Are you seriously so retarded that you think I donated a Cybertruck to a Russian general?”
Following the alleged disabling of the original Cybertruck, Kadyrov announced that he had sent two more Tesla Cybertrucks to the frontline, sharing a video on social media that showed the vehicles outfitted with machine guns and manned by soldiers in military uniforms. He claimed these new Cybertrucks were functioning normally, stating, “The remote shutdown did not affect these vehicles. They are operating normally, without any failures,” adding that this incident served as excellent advertising for the Cybertruck’s capabilities.
Kadyrov showed on his social media 2 more Cybertrucks that were allegedly sent to the so-called special operation zone. Yesterday, the Chechen leader complained that Elon Musk had “remotely disabled” one of the machines that Kadyrov was supposed to possess. pic.twitter.com/ELDOISEqIv
— Belsat in English (@Belsat_Eng) September 20, 2024
Ramzan Kadyrov, 47, has led Chechnya since 2007, having been appointed by Putin following the assassination of his father, the previous Chechen leader. The U.S. State Department, along with the United Kingdom and European Union, has sanctioned Kadyrov for alleged human rights violations, including torture and extrajudicial killings .
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