Vladimir Putin has praised Elon Musk as a “genius” while highlighting Russia’s plans to develop its own satellite communications network for military and civilian use.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised Elon Musk as a “genius” while discussing Moscow’s efforts to develop its own satellite communications network.
Speaking at a summit with African leaders in Moscow, Putin compared Russia’s emerging Rassvet constellation with Musk’s Starlink network, which provides high-speed internet through thousands of satellites in low Earth orbit.
According to Russian state news agency Tass, Putin said: “Elon Musk is a genius, a true genius.
“How many of these [satellites] does he have in orbit? More than 5,000, and we’re only taking the first steps.”
SpaceX now has an estimated 10,000 active satellites providing Starlink services, significantly more than the number cited by Putin.
The importance of the network has been highlighted by its role in the war in Ukraine.
Starlink has been used by Ukrainian forces for communications and drone operations, while a military version known as Starshield has also supported the country’s defence efforts.
Musk recently said SpaceX had restricted a loophole that allowed Ukraine’s military to use civilian Starlink connections.
The service was restored after a period of disruption, but the episode highlighted the influence a private company can have over military communications.
Putin said Russia was in contact with Musk and other US partners over satellite communications.
He said: “We are in close contact with our American partners – including Mr Musk – because it is very important, in orbit, not to get in each other’s way and to maintain a certain level of discipline and order.”
Starlink is not available in Russia, while its use by Russian forces in occupied parts of Ukraine has been restricted.
Moscow is instead developing Rassvet, although the system currently has only about 26 operational satellites and remains far smaller than Starlink.
The development of a domestic network is likely to become increasingly important to Russia as satellite communications play a growing role in modern warfare.
The comments come as Ukraine faces renewed Russian attacks on infrastructure and energy supplies ahead of winter. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also been seeking further Western military support, including additional funding from the UK and Netherlands.
Putin’s comments underline the strategic importance of satellite networks while highlighting the extraordinary scale of the infrastructure Musk’s SpaceX has built.
Vladimir Putin praises ‘genius’ Elon Musk as Russia plans to build own version of Starlink
