Warlord invites Elon Musk to Russia after being filmed driving machine-gun mounted Cybertruck

He claimed the Cybertruck will be used by Russian forces fighting in the invasion of Ukraine

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov’s Telegram channel on Saturday, August 17, 2024

Chechnya President Ramzan Kadyrov has invited Elon Musk to Russia after sharing a video of him behind the wheel of one of the company's Cybertrucks mounted with a machine gun.

In a clip posted on Kadyrov’s Telegram channel, the self-styled strongman was seen taking the stainless steel-clad Cybertruck for a leisurely drive before standing astride the machine gun mounted in the truck bed, draped with belts of ammunition.

In a gushing post, Kadyrov, who rules over Chechnya, a republic within the Russian Federation, described the vehicle as “undoubtedly one of the best cars in the world. I literally fell in love.”

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)

He also said he would donate the vehicle to Russian forces fighting in the invasion of Ukraine. “It’s not for nothing that they call this a cyberbeast,” he said. “I’m sure that this beast will bring plenty of benefits to our troops.”

Kadyrov, who was sanctioned by the U.S. after being linked to numerous human rights violations, claimed he received the truck from Musk, although this was not independently confirmed. Messages left with Tesla seeking comment were not immediately returned.

Russia-Chechnya-Kadyrov-Musk

Kadyrov also took advantage of the video clip to invite Musk to Chechnya.

“I don’t think the Russian Foreign Ministry would mind such a trip,” he said. “And, of course, we’re waiting for your new developments that will help us finish our special military operation (in Ukraine)."

Meanwhile, a senior Russian commander has said that Ukrainian forces had been pushed out of one village in Russia’s border region but that Kyiv’s forces were still probing along the front more than nine days since the lightning incursion into Russia.

The biggest foreign attack on sovereign Russian territory since World War Two unfurled on August 6 when thousands of Ukrainian troops smashed through Russia’s western border in an embarrassment for the Russian top military brass.

In this photo provided by Ukraine's 24th Mechanised Brigade press service, servicemen of 24th mechanised brigade fire from BRM1k infantry fighting vehicle towards Russian positions near Chasiv Yar town, in Donetsk region, Ukraine (AP)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday that his forces had advanced a few kilometers and that the goal of replenishing an ‘exchange fund’ of prisoners of war was being achieved. One Ukrainian official said Kyiv was carving out a buffer zone to protect its population against attack.

Major General Apti Alaudinov, who commands Chechnya’s Akhmat special forces who are fighting in Kursk, said that Russian forces had forced out Ukraine from Martynovka about 18 km (11 miles) from the border.

“We have burned everything that moves, everything that we have been able to find,” Alaudinov told Russian state television from Kursk region, reminding viewers of Russia’s defeat of Napoleon’s 1812 invasion of Russia.

Alaudinov, a close ally of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, said that Ukraine was sending in more forces into the Russian region but that the shift in resources was weakening Ukrainian forces at other parts of the front.