Chechen leader drives armed Tesla truck, praises billionaire Elon Musk in video
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Mr Ramzan Kadyrov has ruled Chechnya for more than 17 years and is a vocal ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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MOSCOW – The strongman leader of Russia’s Chechen Republic, Mr Ramzan Kadyrov, published a video on Aug 17 showing him driving a gun-mounted Tesla Cybertruck and praising the carmaker’s billionaire owner Elon Musk.
Mr Kadyrov, who has ruled Chechnya with an iron fist for more than 17 years, is a vocal ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and says he has deployed thousands of troops to help the Kremlin with its full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
The 47-year-old Chechen leader could be seen behind the wheel of the truck as he drove in the regional capital Grozny, a video posted on his Telegram channel showed. A machine gun appeared to be fixed atop the vehicle’s roof.
“I express my sincere gratitude to Elon Musk. This is, of course, the strongest genius of our time and a specialist. A great man,” he said, in a post accompanying the video, inviting Mr Musk to visit him in Russia.
“Based on such excellent characteristics, the Cybertruck will soon be sent to the area of the special military operation, where it will be in demand in the appropriate conditions,” he added, referring to the Kremlin’s name for its Ukraine offensive.
The Cybertruck is an electric pickup truck that was first unveiled by US carmaker Tesla in 2019 before going into production 2023.
There was no immediate comment from Tesla. AFP, REUTERS
