Russia’s Kadyrov equips Tesla Cybertruck with machine gun for war (and congratulates Musk for the car)

The Chechen leader called Musk the ‘strongest genius of modern times’

Fighters in Chechnya have turned a Tesla Cybertruck into a technical, and are thanking Elon Musk for creating the vehicle.

On Saturday, Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of the fighting forces in Russia' Chechnya region, posted a video of himself on a Cybertruck with a machine gun mounted to the vehicle. In the video he said he planned to send the vehicle to fight in the Russian-Ukraine war.

"The Cybertruck will soon be sent to the SVO zone, where it will be in demand under the appropriate conditions. I am confident that this 'beast' will greatly benefit our soldiers," he wrote in a Telegram post.

The "SVO zone" refers to the Ukraine warzone.

Kadyrov praised the vehicle — and Musk — in the Telegram post, according to Reuters.

Leader of Russia’s Chechnya region Ramzan Kadyrov is seen atop what is said to be a Tesla Cybertruck equipped with a machine gun, in Grozny, Russia, in this still image from video published August 17, 2024 (via REUTERS)

"We received a Tesla Cybertruck from the esteemed Elon Musk. I was pleased to test this new technology and personally witnessed why it's rightfully called the 'Cyberbeast,'" he wrote in the post.

The Independent has requested comment from Tesla.

He called Musk the "strongest genius of modern times" and invited the Tesla and X CEO to visit Chechnya.

"We... await your future products that will help us finish the special military operation," he wrote.

"Special military operation" is Russia's official terms for describing its war in Ukraine. Kadyrov is a staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He said in May that 43,500 Chechen combatants had fought in Russia's war with Ukraine.

Young men look on shrapnel after Russian airstrike on residential neighbourhood in Sumy, Ukraine, on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. (Associated Press)

The Cybertruck isn't the only one of Musk's products to show up during the war in Ukraine. His Starlink satellite internet system has been used by the Ukrainian and Russian militares since 2022. However, Musk has previously stated that he did not want his Starlink system to be used in wars, Insider reports.

During an interview Musk hosted with Donald Trump on Monday, Trump told the Tesla CEO that "nobody feels worse about the Ukraine situation than I do," insisting that he cautioned Putin against invading, and repeating the dubious claim that the invasion would not had happened if he were president.

He also called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "very honorable" for the way he handled a phone call that led to Trump's 2019 impeachment.

Trump's first impeachment came after it was revealed he tried to pressure Zelensky into investigating Joe Biden and his son Hunter, who had business dealings in Ukraine.

Zelensky insisted at the time that he did not feel the call constituted blackmail or cocercion.