Russia's Kadyrov equips Tesla Cybertruck with machinegun for Ukraine war and claims he was 'sent vehicle by Elon Musk'

17 August 2024, 20:06

A Russian warlord has flaunted a new Tesla Cybertruck with a machine gun mounted to the back as he claimed Elon Musk sent him the vehicle.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of the Chechnya region and a close ally of Vladimir Putin, posed with the Cybertruck and the massive machine gun as he pledged to send it to the frontline war in Ukraine.

Kadyrov, known for extravagant publicity stunts, published on social media the video of him driving the truck around his palace and wielding the automatic rifle while draped in ammunition.

He also heaped praise on both the electric vehicle and Tesla and X boss Elon Musk, calling him the "strongest genius of modern times" and inviting him to Russia.

"We... await your future products that will help us finish the special military operation," Kadyrov wrote on Telegram, using the official term that Russian officials use to describe its war in Ukraine and shortened to 'SWO'.

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The warlord continued: “Based on such excellent characteristics, the cyber truck will soon be sent to the SWO area, where it will be reclaimed in the appropriate conditions. I am sure this “beast” will be of great use to our fighters.”

He then invited Musk to Chechnya, writing: “I literally fell in love with this car. Elon, thank you!

"Come to Grozny, I’ll receive you as my dearest guest! I don’t think our Russian Foreign Ministry would object to such a trip

“And, of course, we are waiting for your new developments that will contribute to the completion of the SWO.”

Kadyrov has been a strong ally of Putin and a major supporter of his war in Ukraine, supporting the invasion with his Chechen troops. He also stood by the Russian president during the Wagner uprising.

Chechnya is an autonomous republic within Russia. The republic attempted to break away from Russia twice in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with Kadyrov's father a key leader, but has since become a key pillar of the Putin regime.

It comes as Ukraine’s air force destroyed a key Russian bridge over the river Seym as president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Kyiv is “strengthening” its position in the Kursk region.

A video of the moment when a bridge was hit by "high precision strikes" was shared by Ukrainian air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk on Telegram.

This comes as Ukraine continues its surprise attack on Russia, in which they say troops have advanced about 22 miles past the border.

The destroyed bridge linked areas of Kursk that are still controlled by Russia and areas where Ukraine has made advances over the last ten days.

Mr Oleshchuk added that Ukrainian pilots had hit "enemy strongholds", equipment, logistic centres, and supply routes in its "combat operations" in the region.

It came after the Ukrainian president insisted that the frontline is still the country's "top priority," despite Kyiv's forces’ incursion into the Kursk region.

Ukraine has taken around 1,000 square kilometres of the Russian territory in its surprise counter-attack, which was launched on 6 August and has resulted in more than 120,000 people fleeing to safety.

One theory about why they launched the attack was so that they would have a stronger negotiating hand in the case of any ceasefire talks.

Ukraine says its incursion into Russia is intended to protect Ukrainian lives by preventing cross-border attacks and diverting Russian reinforcements.

Russian news agency TASS first reported that the bridge in the Kursk region was destroyed by Ukraine, which they said had made civilian evacuations in the local area harder.

Zelenskyy has since heralded the achievements of his forces in the Russian Kursk area as he encouraged his troops to inflict "maximum damage on all Russian positions" as they attempt to destroy army logistics.

LBC approached Tesla and Elon Musk for comment but neither responded immediately.