Latest news with #Chechnya
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
‘A psychological victory': 3 writers discuss Ukraine's drone strikes
You're reading the Prompt 2025 newsletter. Sign up to get it in your inbox. On Sunday, Ukraine launched surprise drone strikes that targeted strategic bombers parked deep inside Russian territory. Ukrainian officials claimed the strikes damaged or destroyed dozens of planes. This development feels like a game changer, but how exactly? I sat down with two of my colleagues, Max Boot and Jim Geraghty, to discuss if Ukraine's sneak attack on Russia could change the outlook of the war. — Damir Marusic, assignment editor 💬 💬 💬 Damir Marusic Do you think the strikes change things, practically, on the battlefield? What lessons, if any, do you think Russian President Vladimir Putin has taken away from them? Max Boot It probably won't be a big change on the battlefield but it will certainly hamper Russia's ability to fire missiles at Ukrainian cities. This is not a game changer but it's a significant operational and psychological victory for Ukraine. I doubt the message will get through but it should help convince Putin he is not going to win this war. Jim Geraghty I'm sure any alleviation of Russia's ability to launch cruise missiles at Ukraine will be welcomed, but I agree with Max, this is primarily a psychological and symbolic blow to Putin and the Russians. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Jim On my second trip to Ukraine, I spoke with Akhmed Zakayev, the prime minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, the Chechen government in exile; Chechens are fighting against the Russians in Ukraine. He told me, 'Russians like to fight wars on other people's territory. They hate to fight wars on Russian territory.' Putin won't feel any pressure to cut a deal until the elites in Moscow and St. Petersburg feel the consequences of the war. Strikes deep in Siberia send a strong signal that no spot in Russia is safe from Ukrainian retaliatory strikes. Damir Ukrainians have long argued that hitting Russia hard does not lead to further escalation — that the support of the West is enough of a deterrent. Do you expect Russia to escalate after this, or will it just be more of the same grind? Max Short of nuclear weapons (which I don't expect) there is not much Putin can do that he hasn't already done. Russian hard-liners keep demanding carpet bombing of Ukrainian cities. The reason Putin isn't doing that is not because he's a closet humanitarian: It's because Ukrainian air defenses are too strong. Of course, the Kremlin will claim some big air attack on Kyiv as 'revenge' but they've been mounting air attacks since the start of the war. It's not like Putin would be going easy if the Ukrainians weren't hitting back. Jim Agreed. One of the many problems of fighting a war with maximum brutality is there's not much room to escalate in response to the enemy's actions. Damir The Ukrainians had been planning this strike for more than 18 months, and the United States knew nothing about it. Max, you mentioned there was a message for Putin there. Was there a message for the United States, and specifically the Trump administration, here as well? Jim That this was the finest operational secrecy since the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Lakers. Max 😂 Max I think the message is that the Ukrainians don't trust the United States. They have scar tissue from all of the overly restrictive limitations imposed by the Biden administration on the use of U.S. weapons, so they are using drones not only because they are so effective but also because they are made in Ukraine. Of course, the level of mistrust between Kyiv and Washington has gone up exponentially since President Donald Trump came to office. The Ukrainians know they are dealing with an American president who has a soft spot in his heart for the war criminals in the Kremlin. Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Jim Hey, if Trump wants to get back into the inner circle of Ukraine's operations, I'm sure Kyiv would loop him in on the memos in exchange for some more Patriot missiles. Damir Max, you wrote a terrific piece over the weekend about what these strikes mean for the future of warfare — that the era of the drone is upon us. Zooming out, what do you guys think this means for the defense of Taiwan, for example? Max This attack confirms the lesson we've been learning for more than three years in Ukraine: Drones are the future of warfare. In the war's early days, more than 70 percent of the casualties were being inflicted by artillery. Now 70 percent are being inflicted by drones. This is a lesson that every nation in the world, including Taiwan, needs to take onboard. Taiwan needs to crank up drone production to make it too difficult for China to invade. The U.S. also needs to crank up production. As I noted in a recent column, the U.S. can only manufacture about 100,000 drones a year. Ukraine made 2.2 million last year and is aiming to make 4.5 million this year. We've fallen behind in the drone revolution. Jim Like Max, my first reaction was 'Wow, this is an amazing accomplishment for the Ukrainians. The Russians must feel like a Ukrainian drone could hit them anytime, anywhere.' My second reaction was, 'Whoa, wait a minute, how secure are our air bases from an attack like this?' My guess is: not particularly protected. Although, when I visited Kyiv earlier this year, a lot of European allies were in town, looking for drone warfare lessons and suppliers from the Ukrainians … Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Damir Jim, regarding our own security, that's exactly what popped into my mind. Remember those stories about Chinese entities buying up land near our military installations? At the time, I assumed it was about espionage, but since this weekend, I wonder if there might be other reasons. Max Counterdrone warfare has to become an urgent priority for every military in the world. The Ukrainian attack revealed the vulnerability of airfields (and other installations) all over the world to similar sneak attacks. It used to be that you needed to build long-range missiles to have long-range strike capacity. No longer. Now you can achieve the same result with ultracheap drones that can be reconfigured to carry explosives in a ramshackle workshop; terrorist groups could easily manufacture them. If we aren't worried, we aren't paying attention. Damir And it's not just military airfields, right? Civilian defense has to be in the mix — power stations, airports, data centers … Jim Okay, I wondered if this was a silly thing to bring up, but in the 2013 … er, cinematic classic featuring Gerard Butler, 'Olympus Has Fallen,' the North Koreans launch a devastating attack on the White House using machine guns hidden in garbage trucks. It seemed cheesy and implausible at the time, but the scenes at those Russian airfields must have felt like that — ordinary trucks opening up and unleashing an arsenal upon unsuspecting targets nearby. Every military and spy agency around the world is looking at the Ukrainian operation and asking, 'If they can pull that off, why can't we?' Story continues below advertisement Advertisement Damir Final question: Do you think that efforts such as Trump's Golden Dome missile defense project are now less of a priority? Should there be a pivot? Jim The threat from ballistic missiles isn't mythical, but I think there will be a lot of fair questions about why we would spend so much on large missile defense and not take action to defend against smaller, lighter, cheaper drones. Max I've long thought that Golden Dome was a monumental boondoggle that will not achieve its objective of space-based missile defenses. We should be spending that money on drones and drone defenses. That is the real future of warfare.
Al Jazeera
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Chechnya's Kadyrov wanted to resign. Or did he?
The health of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who earlier this month sought to resign, is deteriorating rapidly, sources and observers have told Al Jazeera. But Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want Kadyrov to be succeeded by his third son, they say. Earlier this month, 48-year-old Kadyrov, who has long dubbed himself Putin's 'foot soldier', said he wanted to quit. 'Another [Chechen leader] will have his own initiative, his own vision. I hope my request will be supported,' Kadyrov told a pro-Kremlin publication, Chechnya Today, before his May 7 meeting with Putin. During the meeting in Putin's office, Kadyrov boasted of 55,000 Chechen servicemen fighting in Ukraine and read a laundry list of economic achievements under his rule in Chechnya, a region home to 1.5 million people. Kadyrov, known as a boxing and weightlifting aficionado, read his words aloud from cards with extra-large print. Neither mentioned the resignation. Kadyrov clarified the issue a day later and habitually glorified Putin. 'Whatever I say, no matter how hard I ask, the decision is only made by one person – our Supreme Commander,' Kadyrov, who had streets and districts in Chechnya named after Putin, wrote on Telegram. 'I'm a foot soldier. If there's an order – I follow it.' Two Chechen insiders familiar with the inner workings of Kadyrov's government told Al Jazeera that, despite the deferential tones, Kadyrov has had a falling-out with Putin over his preferred successor – his third son, Adam Kadyrov, who turned 17 last November. The sources requested anonymity, as rights groups have previously documented a harsh crackdown on dissent in Chechnya, including the persecution of Kadyrov critics and their loved ones. 'Putin refused to have Adam as a successor,' one of the sources said. Kadyrov presents Adam as his son with his wife, Medni. In 2023, Ramzan posted a video purporting to show his son in a pretrial detention centre assaulting a Russian man who had burned a copy of the Quran. Ramzan said he was 'proud' of Adam, who federal investigators said cannot face assault charges because of his age. The younger Kadyrov has been appointed to several official positions, including head of Chechnya's security council. But according to one of the sources, he has been 'raised as a prince' and has limited experience of the 'real world'. According to Chechnya's constitution, no one below 30 can head it. At the time of the 2004 assassination of his father, Akhmat, Ramzan was 28. Akhmat was a mufti and separatist strongman who switched sides after conflicts with puritan separatists who rejected Chechnya's Sufi traditions. Akhmat was killed in a bomb blast, and Ramzan at the time relied on figureheads before officially becoming Chechnya's leader in 2007. Adam will turn 30 in 2037. Kadyrov senior reportedly has necrotising pancreatitis, a health condition with a low survival rate, and kidney problems that require frequent dialysis. The sources Al Jazeera interviewed claimed he was hospitalised several times in critical condition, and spends hours in the AiMed Family Clinic in Chechnya's administrative capital, Grozny, every day and often stays overnight. Kadyrov also resorts to prerecorded videos that are broadcast for several consecutive days to create the illusion of his busy, uninterrupted work schedule, they said. Al Jazeera was unable to independently verify their claims, which are consistent with other media reports about Kadyrov's reported ailing health. The illness has reportedly forced Kadyrov to break unwritten rules. For the first time in two decades, he did not record a television address to congratulate Chechens when the holy month of Ramadan ended in late March. He also did not take part in this year's February 24 commemorations of the Stalinist 1944 deportation of the entire Chechen community to Central Asia. Kadyrov is 'very worried' about his family's destiny after his death, according to Ansar Dishni of Nyiso, a Telegram channel that publishes insider news from Chechnya. 'Of course, the Kremlin has given his family security guarantees, but everything can change because Putin is also not forever,' Dishni told Al Jazeera. So far, Apti Alaudinov, a 51-year-old top security official in Chechnya, is the Kremlin's preferred successor, the sources said. Alaudinov is a poster boy of Chechens fighting on Russia's side in Ukraine, even though the forces he commands have been ridiculed for staging videos of 'participating' in the hostilities. Al Jazeera reported that these forces barely distinguished themselves in combat and mostly have to police Russia-occupied areas in Ukraine. For years, Kadyrov has been reportedly investing in real estate and businesses in the United Arab Emirates and other Middle Eastern nations, creating a financial haven for his family. Others have followed suit. 'Chechens are among our best buyers,' a Russian-speaking real estate agent in Dubai told Al Jazeera. 'They show up with bags of cash.' Three decades ago, Chechnya was a hotbed of separatism beset by kidnappings, assassinations and abject poverty. 'At one point, some believed that Chechnya's status as part of the Russian Federation could serve as a guarantee against further degradation of the human rights situation,' Ivar Dale, a senior policy adviser with the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, a rights watchdog, told Al Jazeera. But after two devastating wars and a decades-long, violent crackdown on 'extremism' in the wider North Caucasus region, Chechnya has by far become Russia's most privileged province. Moscow floods it with federal funds that are reportedly misappropriated by Kadyrov, who has built palatial, heavily fortified residences, boasted a collection of luxurious sports cars and invited champion boxer Mike Tyson, as well as Western celebrities to perform at public concerts on his birthday. Human rights groups accuse him and his personal guards of extrajudicial killings, torture, abduction and the destruction of properties that belong to alleged 'extremists'. Dale said Chechnya's human rights abuses are being replicated in other Russian regions and Russia-occupied parts of Ukraine. 'The most horrific abuses in Chechnya have become the standard for Russia in general,' Dale said. Observers believe little will change after Kadyrov's death and the appointment of his successor. But whoever rules Chechnya next 'may try to use Kadyrov's image in a negative key as a figure the people allegedly got rid of to present himself as a good-willed reformer', Dishni of the Nyiso Telegram channel concluded.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Luke Evans Joins Noomi Rapace in Thriller ‘Traction'
Luke Evans and Noomi Rapace are reteaming for the action thriller Traction, from writer and director Lorraine Darrow. Evans and Rapace earlier starred in the 2019 film Angel of Mine. Evans has movie credits that include Beauty and the Beast, Nine Perfect Strangers, Criminal and Weekend in Taipei. Rapace is best known for Close, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Left-Handed Girl' Review: Striking, Sean Baker-Penned Drama Sketches Compelling Portrait of Mothers and Daughters in Taiwan Erin Kellyman and June Squibb Formed a Real Friendship While Working on Scarlett Johansson's Cannes Movie Need a Drink? 5 Cannes Watering Holes to Wet Your Whistle The character-driven Traction will see Rapace play Kate, a former U.S. soldier leading a humanitarian mission in war-torn Chechnya. The assignment takes a perilous turn and Kate is forced to take on a cynical American war photographer, played by Evans, and a schoolteacher and her injured student as the group must evade both Russian forces and guerrilla fighters. Production on Traction will start in Spain in August. WestEnd Films is handling worldwide sales and shopping the film in Cannes. Traction is produced by CrossDay Productions' Janette Day, Dennis Davidson via his Elizabeth Bay Production banner and Simon Moseley. In Kim Farrant's psychological thriller Angel of Mine, Rapace played an emotionally troubled woman who becomes convinced that a neighbor's young daughter is actually her own child she thought was dead. She becomes involved in a bitter custody battle with her ex-husband (Luke Evans). The psychological thriller was a remake of the 2008 French film L'empreinte de L'Ange. Evans is represented by Anonymous Content, United Agents and CAA. Rapace is represented by Gersh, Tapestry and Narrative. Her deal was negotiated by Kurt Selling at Behind The Scene. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now "A Nutless Monkey Could Do Your Job": From Abusive to Angst-Ridden, 16 Memorable Studio Exec Portrayals in Film and TV The 10 Best Baseball Movies of All Time, Ranked
The Guardian
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Guardian
The Cybertruck was supposed to be apocalypse-proof. Can it even survive a trip to the grocery store?
The Cybertruck answers a question no one in the auto industry even thought to ask: what if there was a truck that a Chechen warlord couldn't possibly pass up – a bulletproof, bioweapons-resistant, road rage-inducing street tank that's illegal to drive in most of the world? Few had seen anything quite like the Cybertruck when it was unveiled in 2019. Wrapped in an 'ultra-hard, 30X, cold-rolled stainless steel exoskeleton', the Cybertruck was touted as the ultimate doomsday chariot – a virtually indestructible, obtuse-angled, electrically powered behemoth that can repel handgun fire and outrun a Porsche while towing a Porsche, with enough juice leftover to power your house in the event of a blackout. At the launch, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the truck could tackle any terrain on Earth and possibly also on Mars – and all for the low, low base price of $40,000. 'Sometimes you get these late-civilization vibes [that the] apocalypse could come along at any moment,' Musk said. 'Here at Tesla, we have the best in apocalypse technology.' Six years on, Covid and Musk's political alignment with Donald Trump have kicked up the apocalypse vibes, and Tesla's good sense has only become more questionable as the Cybertruck has been reduced to an object of universal scorn and derision further raising a host of questions: is the Cybertruck even a decent doomsday chariot? Could it really survive end times? Will it survive Musk himself? 'There's no doubt it's a heavy-duty vehicle that can take some punishment, even from small arms fire,' says Arthur Bradley, a prepping expert who oversees the building of satellite systems at Nasa's Langley research center in Virginia. 'But you can't weigh the pros without also asking: 'Are people shooting at me because they think I'm an idiot or a bad guy, or they don't support my political views – or they don't support me supporting this company?'' Post-armageddon transport has a simple but specific brief: be tough, durable and drive through anything – and no vehicle ticks those boxes more reliably than trucks. Fictional concepts such as Mad Max's tanker-based War Rig are often the inspiration for real-world creations like Ford's custom-built F650 Supertruck, a tractor-trailer sized monstrosity that can carry 120 gallons of fuel, tow 30,000lbs, and be reinforced with bulletproof armor. The truck is how insurgent fighters get around war zones and what storm chasers use to run down tornadoes. 'They're certainly pretty good for prepping purposes,' says Sean Gold, a former air force emergency manager who has worked in the prepping industry for nearly a decade. 'They're large, off-road capable, able to get off roads that might be congested – that sort of thing.' The Cybertruck, however, broke from a century's worth of truck-building orthodoxy, eschewing the typical three-box layout for a wedge-shaped silhouette that took inspiration from the movie Blade Runner and cyberpunk motifs. It mocked the F-150, the US's top-selling vehicle for the last 47 years, as prehistoric tech. On its website, Tesla featured imaginative images of the Cybertruck crawling around Mars. Few knew what to make of it. Simone Giertz, a DIY robotics inventor who built a Tesla truck on her popular YouTube channel, was among a select group invited to Tesla's Hawthorne, California, studio for the Cybertruck unveiling. 'I have never physically felt the air leave a room in the way that it did when the Cybertruck rolled out on stage,' she recalls. 'People were so confused.' Since Musk's hard-right turn, however, the Cybertruck's design has gone from aesthetically polarizing to politically so. A recent Slate article nods at the truck's uncanny resemblance to the Casspir, the apartheid-era military transport that patrolled South African townships in Musk's boyhood. 'As violence and flames engulfed the streets of the nation, Black South African children drew and wrote about the apartheid security forces and its tools – dogs and Casspirs – chasing and shooting at them in their schools, streets, and homes,' the article says. 'By the 1990s, the Casspir had become an iconic global symbol of apartheid oppression.' It's no surprise then that the Cybertruck would become a status symbol for security forces. One California police department spent $153,000 on a Cybertruck for 'community outreach efforts' (though it didn't rule out using it to 'respond to emergencies' as needed), and a Chechen warlord showed off a machine-gun mounted Cybertruck he claimed was purpose-built to help his army fight alongside Russia in the Ukraine war. 'I am sure that this 'beast' will bring a lot of benefit to our fighters,' Ramzan Kadyrov said while heaping praise on 'the respected Elon Musk', who has denied making the vehicle for Kadyrov. Ultimately, the Cybertruck had to be towed from the battlefield after randomly shutting down on Chechen forces, and Kadyrov accused Musk of switching it off remotely – a nagging concern among Tesla owners. In Tesla's early days, the catastrophe thinking was small – a 'bioweapon defense mode' button on each vehicle's climate control, something Musk reckoned might come in handy 'if there's ever an apocalyptic scenario of some kind'. But even as Musk's winking references to the apocalypse manifested into a bulletproof rig made of stainless steel, there was no denying that he may have been right to think the Cybertruck could be a hit with consumers. After the 2019 unveiling, Tesla received around 2m preorders from customers plonking down $100 each. But in the end the enthusiasm wouldn't last because Musk couldn't keep his promises. The Cybertruck came to market two years too late, which was time that allowed Tesla's rivals to get in the game; more Cybertruck reservation holders might have hung in there if Musk hadn't marked the truck's base price up to $99,000. Perhaps most detrimental for Tesla: the Cybertruck's purported utility appeared to be worse than advertised. The average truck is undergirded with a steel frame to handle the rigors of hauling and towing – but the Cybertruck's underbody is made of aluminum, much lighter metal that can bend and even break under heavy strain. Stainless steel is also susceptible to rust – which is to say the Cybertruck is an iffy proposition to survive regular winter, let alone nuclear winter. The internet teems with video of the Cybertruck spinning its wheels in a snowy parking space, on the beach and further off the beaten path; meanwhile the Rivian R1T, a legitimately capable electric vehicle rival to the Cybertruck, was apparently no worse for wear after being tossed around during Hurricane Helene. ('What a dream marketing opportunity for Rivian,' Giertz says. 'Your truck actually survived a natural disaster.') Dan Neil, the Wall Street Journal's Pulitzer prize-winning car critic, slid off a hill while test-driving the Cybertruck with his teenage daughter. 'We took it on class three and class four trails, which it is technically capable of,' he says. 'But it's also 2ft wider than any trail at any national park could generally accommodate. That's the part I don't get. It's definitely an on-road car.' That makes the Cybertruck an even tougher sell to doomsday preppers – many of whom already had their doubts about the viability of EV technology during and after a major disaster, says Gold, the former air force manager. The Cybertruck's 300ish-mile range in particular becomes a much riskier proposition when plugs stop working. 'The beauty of EVs is you don't have to hunt for fuel,' says Bradley, the Virginia-based prepping expert. 'But the drawback is most people don't have a large solar power generation system. If you get a little too far out, or run into a situation that causes you to use up your energy, you might not get back home.' Daisy Luther, a former automotive service manager who went into the prepping business after the 2008 financial collapse, wonders how anyone in the post-apocalypse would go about fixing a Cybertruck (which has already been recalled eight times) – especially in the event of an electromagnetic pulse or similar event. 'I generally recommend that if someone is getting a vehicle to last them through some kind of apocalyptic situation that it have as few computer chips and electronics as possible,' says Luther, who drives an old Jeep. 'I can do small repairs on something mechanical, but I can't do anything that requires a computer flash or a satellite upgrade because I don't have the equipment.' Last month I rented a Tesla Cybertruck to get a feel for it as a family vehicle and found it to be ill-equipped for these times, let alone the end times. (And I say that as the owner of a Model Y, an exceedingly versatile family hauler that's also massively fun to drive.) At over 6ft wide, 18ft long and 3.5 tons, the Cybertruck was a bear to maneuver around Atlanta's narrow streets; its obtuse-angled shape made identifying traffic hazards through the car's windows and mirrors a virtual impossibility. Even when I find myself considering the Cybertruck just for its potential as a standby home generator, I was soon reminded that Hyundai and Kia EVs offer similar capability for a fraction of the cost. For my toddler boys the Cybertruck is what the Lamborghini Countach was to me in my youth, the apogee of poster cars – but the truck isn't what I would call kid-friendly. Mostly, it kept me worried about them gouging out an eye, losing a finger or getting static shock from touching the steel doors as they explored. 'You're driving a meme car!' Ezra Dyer, the Car and Driver columnist, helpfully reminds me. 'You have to buy into the idea that it's kind of funny, wink-wink.' When my wife asked if the children would be safe inside, I hesitated to tell her that Alijah Arenas – the highly regarded USC basketball recruit and son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas – had to be put into a coma after losing control of his Cybertruck and crashing into a fire hydrant in Los Angeles. Suffice to say, had Alijah Arenas been driving a Rivian (the safest pickup on the road full stop) or Tiger Woods's 2009 Escalade, he would have been able to walk away from the accident; but somehow, bystanders managed to pry open the Cybertruck's doors, which don't have exterior handles (!), and pull him away from a fiery scene made scarier by the truck's tough to extinguish high-voltage battery – the last thing you'd want to deal with when the world's already burning. Unlike modern cars, the Cybertruck was expressly not designed to deform on impact – further ratcheting up the safety risks during and after a cataclysmic disaster. (This is also why Cybertrucks are banned in the UK, EU and China, the world's largest EV market.) Gold, who drives a Model 3, could envision a bad actor hacking into the truck remotely or even Musk himself shutting them down out of spite as may or may not have been the case with the Chechen warlord. 'I know it doesn't really make sense [for him to do that],' Gold says, 'but the possibility is concerning'. Then there's Gold's point: the Cybertruck is such a ripe target, it sticks out so much. Early on Ford CEO Jim Farley dismissed it as the kind of status mobile you might find 'parked in front of a hotel'. In its relatively short life, the Cybertruck has gone from being a status mobile for Kim Kardashian, Pharrell Williams and other tastemakers to the ultimate meme-mobile – a Maga hat on wheels. (SNL's Colin Jost called it the answer to the question: 'What if Kanye was a car?') When the truck isn't being flipped off in traffic (although that wasn't my experience driving it in Atlanta, a saturated Tesla market), it's being used as a slate canvas for political protests against Musk. 'I mean, I wouldn't want to drive one around town today,' Bradley says. Read more from The Armageddon complex series Why apocalypse-minded shoppers go to Costco Lefty preppers are taking a different approach to doomsday The rise of end times fascism The irony of Tesla's apocalypse machine is it couldn't even overcome Musk's worst nature, or even live up to the earth-saving principles that Tesla used to espouse. 'Maybe this explains it: he's working really hard on bringing down civil society; maybe that was just to increase the market?' Giertz jokes. 'It's interesting because when the environmentalists turned on Elon, he immediately pivoted to another target group: the preppers who want to be self-sufficient. But at this point when civility is out the window and we are even more pissed at the guy who brought the apocalypse in, I'd rather be in a Toyota Prius than a Cybertruck.' On the company's earnings call last month Musk vowed to step back from running the so-called 'department of government efficiency' (Doge) to devote more time to Tesla amid speculation that he could be replaced as CEO – but the catastrophe might unsalvageable. 'I don't think that [Doge] is the issue,' Ross Gerber, a major Tesla investor, told CNN. 'Actually, it's that people despise Elon Musk even more than they hate Trump. And that's not something that he can solve at this point.' Despite being the world's top selling EV pickup, Cybertruck sales are still so poor that the company doesn't even bother reporting them – but record high inventory and steep depreciation curves gives the game away. Quietly, Tesla shifted marketing strategies for the Cybertruck, pivoting away from the martian imagery to more classic pickup truck iconography – but it's too little, too late, and now just gaslighting the public. In recent months Tesla's board chair made $198m unloading the company's stock amid falling profits. Ford, Rivian and other competitors are fast gaining ground in the market. 'It's really interesting to see how far Tesla has fallen,' says Benoit. 'At this point it's beyond political.' If anything, the Cybertruck becoming the Titanic of cars is the fate we actually should've prepared for. History tells us anytime a vehicle is touted as future-proof, it's all but doomed to become a monument to unchecked hubris. 'My guess is this incarnation of the Cybertruck has a very limited life,' Bradley says. 'I think there will be another Cybertruck, but it will probably be more modern-looking – like a regular pickup truck.'
Arab News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Don't take your eyes off events in Chechnya
Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya in southern Russia, was reported last week to have submitted a request to the Kremlin to be relieved of his post. Kadyrov was appointed by President Vladimir Putin in 2007, following in the footsteps of his father, Akhmad Kadyrov — a former Chechen rebel who defected to Russia in 1999 and became Chechen leader in 2003. The relationship between Ramzan Kadyrov and Putin has long been transactional. The president gains a loyal lieutenant to govern one of Russia's most volatile regions with an iron fist. In return, Kadyrov enjoys the Kremlin's patronage, with Chechnya effectively subsidized by the Russian state. Kadyrov publicly demonstrates unwavering loyalty to Putin, while he and his inner circle operate with unchecked brutality. If Kadyrov does step down, it could create a major problem for Putin at a time when he can least afford one. The motive is unclear. In the past, Kadyrov has threatened to resign to extract concessions and support from Moscow. This could be more of the same: days after he asked to quit, Kadyrov met Putin in Moscow with no public mention of stepping down. Alternatively, the request may be genuine and tied to long-rumored health issues. Reports suggest Kadyrov has spent extended periods in hospital, and recent social media videos show him slurring his words. Whether real or tactical, it all comes at a particularly inconvenient moment for the Kremlin. Last week Moscow hosted a major celebration commemorating the Soviet Union's victory in the Second World War. The event, in which several former Soviet republics took part, was intended to project strength and boost Putin's global image amid the war in Ukraine. If Kadyrov is indeed sincere, and wants to relinquish power, his timing is disastrous from a public relations standpoint and could cause major practical problems for Putin. Any power transition or vacuum in the North Caucasus is bound to alarm Moscow. To appreciate the significance, one must understand Russia's historical relationship with the region. Russia first sought to conquer the North Caucasus in the late 1700s, but full control was not achieved until 1864 after a prolonged and bloody resistance. Even then, uprisings continued for decades. In 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic declared independence as the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. Russia responded with military force and launched the First Chechen War (1994–1996), which ended in a Russian defeat and a fragile peace. This left Chechnya politically unstable but de facto independent. In October 1999, newly appointed Prime Minister Vladimir Putin launched the Second Chechen War. By February 2000, Russian forces had all but destroyed the capital city Grozny, and over time Moscow displaced the Ichkerian leadership, replacing it with local allies loyal to the Kremlin. In 2009, Russia officially declared the war over. By that point, Ramzan Kadyrov had consolidated power and ruthlessly suppressed any dissent. Since being forced out in the early 2000s, the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria has maintained a government-in-exile in Western Europe. Its Prime Minister, Akhmed Zakayev, was deputy prime minister and foreign minister in the days of the de facto republic. Today, much of this exiled government operates from Kyiv, with at least two Ichkerian Chechen units fighting alongside Ukrainian forces. It has also increased its diplomatic engagement, with Inal Sherip, the foreign minister, leading global outreach. If Kadyrov does step down, a significant power struggle is likely to ensue over his successor. Luke Coffey Given their combat experience in Ukraine and strong political motivation, this government-in-exile will seek a role in any future power vacuum in the North Caucasus if given an opportunity. If Kadyrov does step down, a significant power struggle is likely to ensue over his successor. Different Russian power centers will push their preferred candidates. The outcome — whether a smooth, behind-the-scenes transition or a violent conflict — could significantly affect Russia's internal stability. The FSB, Russia's main security service, is thought to support two possible successors: Magomed Daudov, Speaker of the Chechen parliament and a close Kadyrov ally, and Apti Alaudinov, commander of the Chechen special forces and a lieutenant general in the Russian army. The National Guard leadership is said to favor Adam Delimkhanov, a State Duma deputy and Kadyrov's cousin. A wildcard candidate is Musa Bazhaev, a Russian-Chechen businessman and president of Alliance Group, the massive Russian business conglomerate. He could appeal to the Kremlin with promises of economic development. It's also possible that Kadyrov will attempt to keep leadership within his family by pushing for his 17-year-old son, Adam, to take over. Despite his youth, Adam has been given increasing responsibilities and oversees Chechen units in the National Guard as well as all police forces in the region. However, his age and lack of experience could be significant obstacles. So what will Putin do? Don't expect a quick decision. He is focused on negotiations with the White House over the war in Ukraine and will want to avoid adding another major crisis to his plate. Before accepting Kadyrov's resignation, Putin will probably demand a clear succession plan to avoid destabilization. But with so many competing interests, preventing a power struggle — or even armed conflict — may be easier said than done. History tells us that there is no reason to believe that a transition of power in Chechnya will be easy. While events there may seem peripheral to global policymakers, the region could quickly become central if Kadyrov's succession does not go smoothly. Keep an eye on Chechnya in the coming weeks. • Luke Coffey is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. X: @LukeDCoffey
