Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov has claimed that Tesla CEO Elon Musk remotely disabled a Tesla Cybertruck that has been used in combat. According to Kadyrov, the Cybertruck, fitted with a machine gun in the bed, was sent to Ukraine as part of the Russian military effort but was “bricked” by Musk, rendering it immobile on the battlefield.
We first learned about the battle-ready Cybertruck last month when Kadyrov, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, shared footage of a Cybertruck equipped with a turret on social media. Kadyrov claimed that Musk personally gifted him the vehicle, despite sanctions that should have made such a transaction impossible.
Musk was quick to deny the claim, saying that no such gift was made and expressing disbelief that anyone would believe he would.
The Cybertruck’s arrival in Chechnya sparked criticism, given the sanctions in place against Kadyrov and Russia due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Kadyrov pushed forward however, reportedly sending the truck into active military duty in Ukraine. Now the Chechyan leader has taken to Telegram again, this time to announce that the truck had been “remotely disabled” by Musk and that the truck had to be towed from the battlefield as a result.
Kadyrov called Musk’s actions “not manly” and accused the CEO of disabling the vehicle after gifting it to him. “Elon Musk behaved badly. He gives expensive gifts from the bottom of his heart and then remotely disconnects them,” Kadyrov wrote on Telegram. (via Politico)
But even if Tesla did remotely disable the Cybertruck, Kadyrov apparently has a backup plan. Russian state media outlet RT reported that he had already sent two more Cybertrucks to Ukraine and had apparently “defeated” the remote disabling mechanism. Backing up the claim, RT also shared this video below of the two new Cybertrucks “in battle.”
Musk has not commented since denying supplying Kadyrov with a Cybertruck, and has not responded to the latest claims that one of the trucks was disabled, and that he has been able to acquire more.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov loves his Cybertruck technical so much that he’s sent two more to the front lines. But you know who isn’t so pleased? Elon Musk. Kadyrov revealed via his Telegram channel that his viral first Cybertechnical – the Cybertruck he had custom fitted with… pic.twitter.com/kyzFN1OIhL
— RT (@RT_com) September 20, 2024
