Chechnya’s leader posted on Saturday a video of himself driving a gun-mounted Tesla Cybertruck.
Ramzan Kadyrov has ruled his country with an iron fist for over 17 years, after his father was assassinated in 2004.
The Chechen boss has a reputation for brutality and his regime has been accused of widespread human rights abuses.
He is a staunch supporter of Putin’s war in Ukraine and claims to have sent thousands of his troops to fight alongside the Russian army.
In a video posted to Telegram, the 47-year-old Chechen leader could be seen behind the wheel of the truck as he drove in the regional capital Grozny.
A machine gun appeared to have been attached to the top of the vehicle’s roof.
“I express my sincere gratitude to Elon Musk,” the Chechen strongman said.
“This is, of course, the strongest genius of our time and a specialist. A great man,” he gushed.
Kadyrov claimed the vehicle would be sent to the frontlines in Ukraine, where “it will be in demand in the appropriate conditions”.
The Cybertruck is an electric pick-up truck that was first unveiled by US carmaker Tesla in 2019 before going into production last year.
Musk’s SpaceX has provided Ukraine with Starlink terminals since the beginning of the war two and a half years ago.
Starlink’s satellite system is one of the few technical solutions for providing internet access in places affected by natural disasters, very remote locations or – as in the case of Ukraine – war zones.
The use of the system requires a Starlink terminal. There are now tens of thousands of terminals in the country, including up to 500 purchased by the US Department of Defence in June 2023.
However, in February Ukrainian military intelligence officials alleged that Russian forces were also using the Starlink system.
Providing Starlink equipment directly to Russia is illegal under US sanctions, but Ukraine suspects Russia is obtaining the terminals from third countries, or that they have been captured on the battlefield.
When reports began to surface in February, Musk posted on X: “To the best of our knowledge, no Starlinks have been sold directly or indirectly to Russia.”
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