Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, was accused by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov of remotely deactivating his Cybertruck, which was deployed to the front lines of Russia’s conflict with Ukraine. Kadyrov, a devoted supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, asserted that the machine gun-equipped car was operating effectively in battle before to being shut down. He continued, saying that two additional Tesla Cybertrucks had been dispatched to the front and that everything was going according to plan. In a video shared in August, Kadyrov, smiling while driving a Cybertruck through an empty square in Grozny, thanked Musk for the vehicle, describing it as a gift intended for the war effort. However, Musk strongly denied providing any such vehicle, reacting sharply on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “Are you seriously so retarded that you think I donated a Cybertruck to a Russian general?”
Kadyrov doubled down on his claims, expressing frustration over the Cybertruck’s remote shutdown and accusing Musk of taking back his “expensive gift.” Despite the alleged shutdown, Kadyrov posted a video showing two other Cybertrucks, each armed with machine guns, in a forested area with soldiers firing from their roofs. He emphasized that these vehicles remained unaffected by any remote interference, working flawlessly.
Tesla has not yet commented on Kadyrov’s allegations. The Tesla Cybertruck, an all-electric vehicle, was first unveiled by Musk in 2019 in Los Angeles, with prices starting around $90,000 in the U.S.
Kadyrov, who has faced international criticism for alleged human rights abuses, was sanctioned by the U.S. State Department in 2020 for his role in torture and extrajudicial killings. He has also been sanctioned by the United Kingdom and the European Union for his actions.