Putin Praises Elon Musk: A True Genius

Speaking during the Russia-Africa Summit held in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin described SpaceX and Starlink founder Elon Musk as a "true genius." Putin stated that Russia maintains close contact with Musk to prevent orbital clashes between Russia's Rassvet project and Starlink systems.

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised SpaceX executive Elon Musk during his speech at the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow. According to a translation by the BBC, Putin stated, "He is a genius, a true genius. We are in close communication with our American partners, including Mr. Musk." Putin emphasized that these contacts are important for ensuring that Russia's satellite internet project, Rassvet, and Starlink satellites do not interfere with each other's orbital space.

While Starlink has launched approximately 13,000 satellites to date, online satellite trackers indicate that only a few dozen Rassvet satellites are currently in orbit. The Russian Embassy in South Africa stated that Rassvet is "Russia's alternative to Starlink" and represents the initial steps in this field. Meanwhile, this development coincides with a period of warming relations between the US and Russia, while it is known that the Ukrainian military experienced Starlink connectivity issues during past days, which Musk acknowledged was done intentionally by SpaceX.