Putin’s Bloodiest Ally: Elon Musk Gifted Me a Cybertruck

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov loved his machine-gun-modded Tesla Cybertruck so much that he wants to thank Elon Musk personally.

In a Telegram post, the strong-arm president claimed the Tesla edgelord sent him a Cybertruck and that he wanted to welcome him to Chechnya as a “most dear guest” as a show of gratitude. He also claimed the trucks would be deployed to Russian soldiers at war in Ukraine, according to the Associated Press.

“I am sure that this ‘beast’ will be of great use to our soldiers,” Kadyrov wrote. A video accompanying the post showed Kadyrov gleefully driving the truck around and standing behind the machine-gun component.

It is unclear whether Musk or Tesla gifted the vehicle to Kadyrov. The company did not respond to an immediate request for comment, including on whether it agrees with Kadyrov’s desire to use the trucks against Ukrainians.

Musk has simultaneously shown support for Ukraine’s war against Russia while also arguing the country would not win and that it needed to come to a settlement with Russia.

The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Kadyrov in 2017 for “serious human rights abuses” in the Chechen Republic under the Magnitsky Act, saying he was responsible for “extrajudicial killing, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.” It reiterated those sentiments when it sanctioned his businesses and associates in 2020, and it prohibited any U.S. citizen from making a contribution of any “funds, goods, and services” to a sanctioned individual.

OFAC guidelines indicate that those who violate the sanctions could face both civil and criminal penalties, including fines up to millions of dollars.

Read more at The Daily Beast.