Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has been showcasing a modified Tesla Cybertruck equipped with a machine gun. However, a military expert has deemed the vehicle unfit for warfare, highlighting its impracticality in combat situations.
Mark Cancian, a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, expressed concerns about the Cybertruck’s reliance on electricity, stating that recharging it on the battlefield would be a major logistical hurdle. “Where do you recharge this thing on the battlefield? There are no Tesla outlets on the front lines in the Donbas,” Cancian pointed out.
While Kadyrov claimed the vehicle, dubbed the “Cyberbeast,” was a gift from Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Musk has denied this assertion. Kadyrov’s claims about using the vehicle in combat have also been dismissed as posturing by regional experts.
Cancian emphasized the logistical challenges posed by the electric vehicle’s reliance on electricity and rechargeable batteries in war zones. “Maybe you could bring your own generator and hook it up to some custom-design Tesla outlet, but now you’re running a generator to produce electricity to power your electric vehicle,” he explained.
Furthermore, Cancian noted that the addition of a long-range gun negates the potential stealth benefits of the Cybertruck. Most vehicles of its size are already fairly quiet, but the gun makes the vehicle easily detectable. “That is super cool and totally useless,” Cancian concluded.
The source of Kadyrov’s Cybertruck remains unclear, especially considering its limited U.S. production. The Chechen leader’s public display of the vehicle coincides with heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine, with Putin accusing Ukraine of launching a major attack on Russian territory. Just two days after Kadyrov showcased the Cybertruck, Putin inspected Chechen troops preparing for a confrontation with Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk region.
