Putin Calls Musk a Genius as Russia Chases Starlink

Putin calls Musk a genius, and the line landed with extra weight on Wednesday because the Russian president said it while admitting his country is far behind in satellite internet. Speaking during a tour of a technology exhibition at the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow, Vladimir Putin praised the SpaceX boss while looking at Rassvet, Russia's home-grown answer to Starlink.

According to The Guardian, Putin said: "Elon Musk is a genius, a true genius." He then did the maths out loud. "How many of these does he have in orbit? More than five thousand, and we're only taking the first steps." The remark came after Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev briefed him on the project.

What Putin actually said

Reuters reported that Shadayev told Putin Russia had launched more than thirty satellites so far, while Musk had more than five thousand low-orbit satellites running. Putin replied with a pointed aside, according to the BBC: "We are in close contact with our American partners, including Mr. Musk." He added that it matters for satellites in orbit not to interfere with each other.

The BBC noted that SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment. That silence leaves a lot of room for questions, because Musk's company runs a service that Ukraine's military has leaned on for drone operations and battlefield communications throughout the war.

Why the timing is awkward

Earlier this month, a military version of Starlink called Starshield was suddenly restricted for roughly ten days, according to the Guardian. That hampered Ukraine's medium-range drone attacks and weakened parts of its anti-drone defences. Musk first denied ordering any throttling, then said he had closed a loophole in which civilian Starlink had been used by the military.

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, later announced that Starlink and Starshield operations had been restored and that speeds were back where they needed to be. According to the Kyiv Independent, he also said on Tuesday that civilians died while the services were switched off. Few people think the issue is permanently settled, especially with relations between Zelenskyy and Donald Trump tense ahead of the American midterm elections.

Russia's Starlink rival is still small

The Guardian estimates Russia's constellation at about twenty-six working satellites, which limits its capacity. Starlink does not work in Russia, and its use by Russian forces inside Ukraine was restricted earlier this year. The Guardian put the real number of active SpaceX satellites at around ten thousand, roughly double the figure mentioned in the exchange.

Rassvet is a state-backed project, and Putin stressed that Russia started it on its own. The quality is there, he said according to TASS, and the task now is launching enough satellites. That is a long road when one side has a decade-long head start and a rocket company to match.

The bigger picture for Ukraine

The Guardian read the comment as flattery, noting that Musk's control of communications technology raises questions about his leverage over the White House and over Ukraine's war effort. Whatever the motive, the scene is a reminder that a single private company now sits in the middle of a geopolitical fight. Ukraine, Russia and Washington are all watching what one billionaire decides to switch on or off.

There are other moving parts. Zelenskyy said he hopes three-way peace talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States could take place between the sixth and tenth of November in Abu Dhabi, shortly after the midterms. Britain also announced ten billion pounds in extra financing for Ukraine over three years, plus five hundred million pounds immediately for air defence.

What to watch next

If Putin calls Musk a genius again, it will be worth asking who is listening. For now, the practical questions are whether Starshield stays stable for Ukraine, how fast Russia can launch more Rassvet satellites, and whether those Abu Dhabi talks actually happen. For more on the war and the tech around it, check our war coverage and the tech section on GenZ NewZ.