Additional Coverage:
- A Russian warlord who seemingly put a machine gun on a Cybertruck says Elon Musk ‘remotely disabled’ the militarized EV (newsbreak.com)
A Chechen warlord has lashed out at Elon Musk, claiming that Tesla remotely disabled his modified Cybertruck. Ramzan Kadyrov, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, previously boasted about the vehicle, which featured a machine gun mount.
Kadyrov accused Musk of "behaving badly" and being "unmanly" for disabling the Cybertruck. He said he had to tow the vehicle after Tesla shut it down. Musk has denied donating the truck to Kadyrov.
Experts have questioned the usefulness of the Cybertruck as a combat vehicle due to its weight and limited range. Despite these concerns, Kadyrov claimed that the truck "coped well" in battle.
The circumstances surrounding how the Cybertruck ended up in Kadyrov’s possession remain unclear. Experts believe it was likely resold through a third country due to US sanctions prohibiting direct exports to Chechnya.