The Tesla Cybertruck was controversial long before deliveries began late last year, and now an example of the electric pickup has fallen into the hands of a Russian warlord to become the latest conflict vehicle of choice.
Outspoken Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov boasted online over the weekend about taking delivery of the Tesla Cybertruck, which has been fitted with a machine gun in its tray.
While CNN reports Mr Kadyrov claims the Cybertruck was sent to him by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, whom he called “the strongest genius of our time”, the executive took to his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to deny the claim – using language we’d rather not repeat.
Kadyrov said he received a Tesla Cybertrack from Elon Musk. He promised to send it to the “special military operation” zone and attached a machine gun to it.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 17, 2024
“Elon, thank you! Come to Grozny, I will receive you as the most dear guest! I do not think that our Russian MFA will be… pic.twitter.com/m72fg2G2PU
Mr Kadyrov said the Cybertruck – believed to be a top-spec tri-motor ‘Cyberbeast’ – will be put to use in Ukraine, as conflict continues two and a half years after Russia’s invasion of its neighbouring country.
“Based on such excellent characteristics, the Cybertruck will soon be sent to the special military operation zone,” Mr Kadyrov said, as reported by CNN.
“I am sure that this ‘beast’ will bring a lot of benefit to our fighters.”
It’s the first time we’ve seen a Tesla being used in a warzone, though it’s unlikely the electric vehicle (EV) specialists will have the same impact in conflict as Toyota’s heavy-duty HiLux and LandCruiser.
The two utes have long been used by forces such as the Taliban in war, due in part to their rugged dependability and the capacity to mount a machine gun.
