Chechen leader claims gift from Elon Musk amid war effort

Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya, claims he received a Tesla with a gun turret. "We received a Tesla Cybertruck from the respected Elon Musk," he wrote on Telegram on Saturday. "I was happy to test the new technology and personally saw that it is not by chance that it is called the 'Cyberbeast,'" he added.

Much of the information provided by Russian media or representatives of the authorities is often propaganda. These reports are part of the information warfare conducted by the Russian Federation.

Kadyrov posted a video in which he drives a vehicle equipped with a gun turret around his presidential palace.

"I was happy to test the new technology and personally saw that it is not by chance that it is called the 'Cyberbeast.' A real invulnerable and fast animal," said the Chechen ally of Vladimir Putin. He also announced that the car "will soon be sent" to the battlefield in Ukraine.

"I am sure that this ‘beast’ will be of great use to our soldiers," he noted.

Kadyrov thanked Tesla owner Elon Musk and invited the billionaire to Russia. Politico contacted Tesla, but the company did not comment.

Kadyrov is considered Putin's man in Chechnya. He headed the regional campaign headquarters in the Russian presidential elections in March 2004.

In May 2004, he was appointed deputy prime minister and effectively led the government in Chechnya. In February 2006, he was elected chairman of the republican branch of the United Russia party, currently the largest political party in Chechnya and Russia.

According to the international association "Memorial," torture, political killings, and human rights violations continue to occur in Chechnya, and the overall situation can be described as "horrific." The centre's employees claim that the Russian federal authorities unofficially tolerate these practices.