Vladimir Putin has called Elon Musk a "real genius" and confirmed that Russia is in close contact with Musk and with the United States about satellite internet, according to the BBC. The Russian president made the remarks on Wednesday during the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, where he also promoted Rassvet, Russia's own satellite internet project.
"He's a genius, a real genius," Putin said of Musk, in remarks the BBC translated. "We are in close contact with our American partners, including Mr. Musk." The comments matter because Starlink, which belongs to Musk's SpaceX, has become critical infrastructure in modern conflict, and Moscow rarely speaks so openly about coordinating with Washington on anything.
Russia-US coordination on satellites in orbit
Putin said staying in contact was important so that Rassvet and Starlink satellites do not "interfere with each other in orbit." He added: "We and our American partners value this mutually, and despite all the political questions, we are working hard."
The claim was echoed by the Russian Embassy in South Africa, which wrote on Wednesday that Rassvet is "Russia's Starlink alternative" and "marks only the country's first steps in this field," adding: "Russia maintains close contacts with the US on space, including with Elon Musk." SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment from the BBC.
Starlink vs Rassvet: how the two fleets compare
The gap between the two systems is enormous. According to SpaceX, Starlink has launched roughly 13,000 satellites, while online satellite trackers count only a couple of dozen Rassvet satellites currently in orbit.
Starlink has also been a factor on the battlefield. Ukraine relied on the service to keep Russian forces at bay, and its military suddenly suffered Starlink connectivity problems last week, something Musk has admitted SpaceX caused intentionally.
