Russian President Vladimir Putin called US tech tycoon Elon Musk “truly a genius” for deploying thousands of satellites into orbit, as Moscow seeks to develop its own satellite internet network.
Musk owns SpaceX, which launches rockets for NASA and operates the Starlink communications network.
Russia, a spacefaring power, has long sought to develop its own satellite internet constellation for both civilian and military use.
Putin’s remarks come amid a dispute between Ukraine and the United States over access to Starshield, a military-grade satellite network powered by Musk’s SpaceX.
“Elon Musk is a genius, truly a genius,” Putin said while touring an exhibition on the sidelines of a Russia-Africa summit in Moscow.
“He has how many units in orbit…? More than 5,000. And we’re taking our first steps,” he added.
“We are in close contact with our American partners, including Mr. Musk, because it is crucial in orbit not to interfere with one another.”
Ukraine began reporting problems using Starshield this month following a dispute between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump over a US-Russia diesel deal.
Both Trump and Musk denied responsibility for the outages, although Musk later accused Ukraine of misusing SpaceX’s Starlink internet service for military purposes.
Ukraine has said the outages have hampered its efforts to intercept Russian drones and slowed its frontline logistics as the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues into its fifth year.
