Elon Musk denies gifting Cybertruck to Chechen leader amid claims of vehicle being used in Ukraine

Elon Musk refuted claims he gave a Cybertruck to Ramzan Kadyrov, who allegedly plans to deploy it in Ukraine.

Elon Musk has firmly denied claims that he gifted a Tesla Cybertruck to Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia's Chechen Republic. 

Responding to these allegations on his social media platform, X, Musk wrote, "Are you seriously so retarded that you think I donated a Cybertruck to a Russian general?” 

Are you seriously so retarded that you think I donated a Cybertruck to a Russian general?

That’s amazing 🤣🤣

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 18, 2024

He further criticised the media, stating, "Yet another example of how much the legacy media lies."

Yet another example of how much the legacy media lies

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 18, 2024

Kadyrov, a staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and subject to U.S. and EU sanctions, had posted a video on Telegram on Saturday, where he was seen driving a Cybertruck equipped with a machine gun turret in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya. 

In the video, Kadyrov expressed his gratitude to Musk, calling him "the strongest genius of our time" and "a great man." Kadyrov also invited Musk to visit Grozny, promising to host him as his "most dear guest."

🇷🇺 BREAKING:

The leader of Russia's Chechnya region, Ramzan Kadyrov, published a video, showing himself driving a Tesla Cybertruck with what appeared to be a MACHINE GUN mounted on top.

He stated that he would send it to the Ukraine conflict zone. pic.twitter.com/uRpYV2zP1D

— Beats in Brief (@beatsinbrief) August 17, 2024

Kadyrov claimed he would send the vehicle to the battlefield in Ukraine, praising the Cybertruck as "undoubtedly one of the best cars in the world" and referring to it as a "cyberbeast." 

He asserted that the vehicle would be beneficial to Russian troops engaged in the ongoing conflict. Despite Kadyrov's claims, Musk has categorically denied any involvement in providing the Cybertruck.