A key ally of Vladimir Putin has deployed two Tesla Cybertrucks to the frontline in Ukraine amid a war of words with the company’s CEO Elon Musk.
Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov this week accused Mr Musk of disabling his Cybertruck, which he also claimed the Tesla chief sent to him as a gift.
Mr Musk denies gifting the vehicle to Kadyrov.
On Friday, Kadyrov said: “Two more Cybertrucks are sent to the [war] zone.”
The Cybertrucks were pictured with machine gun turrets placed on top of them.
Kadyrov continued: “Western equipment is doing an excellent job against their own Western Ukro-NATOvites.
“Mobility, convenience, manoeuvrability – such qualities of an electric vehicle are in great demand here.
“They have not been affected by the remote shutdown. The vehicles are running smoothly and without fail.
“You can’t think of a better advert for Cybertruck. We know how they should be used.”
Kadyrov had earlier accused Mr Musk of disabling his Cybertrucks, saying: “He gives expensive gifts from the heart, and then remotely turns them off.
“You probably remember his gift – the Cybertruck, which we equipped with a machine gun and sent to the [war]. The vehicle coped with combat missions perfectly, demonstrating manoeuvrability and good protection for the crew.
“So, recently Musk remotely turned off the Cybertruck. This is not how men act. We had to tow the iron horse. How is that possible, Elon? Is that how it is done?”
Despite being a strong ally of Putin, Kadyrov has criticised the Russian military’s failure to defeat Ukraine during the war.
In 2022, he said his three sons, aged 14, 15 and 16 at the time, would be sent to the frontline to fight with Russian soldiers.
Independent Russian media has reported that Kadyrov is suffering with pancreatic necrosis, adding that his condition is so bad that the Kremlin is already weighing up potential successors in Chechnya.
But Kadyrov sought to dismiss these reports in April, posting a video of himself lifting weights in the gym.