Putin hails Elon Musk as ‘genius’ weeks after Starlink access slowed down for Ukraine
Ukraine has relied heavily on Starlink throughout the Russian invasion but complained earlier this month of speed restrictions
Vladimir Putin hailed Elon Musk as a “genius” and said he was in contact with the tech billionaire as Russia develops its answer to his Starlink satellite internet system.
It comes just weeks after Ukraine, which uses a version of Starlink as a key component of drone operations and battlefield communications, complained of speed restrictions that hampered its ability to intercept Russian attack drones and forced the cancellation of some operations.
The Russian president made the remark about Mr Musk on Wednesday as he listened to a presentation by digital development minister Maksut Shadayev, who said Russia had launched more than 30 satellites as it builds its own Starlink equivalent.
"Just a second, I want to point out this is just our first step. Elon Musk is a genius, he's just a real genius," said Mr Putin.
Mr Shadayev said in reply to a question from Mr Putin that Mr Musk had more than 5,000 low-orbit satellites up and running — although the actual number is close to 10,000, according to independent tracking site Orbital Radar.
"Over 5,000 while we are only taking our first steps. But we are proud that we have begun to do this, and started to do it independently," Mr Putin said, adding that the task now was "to move from quality to quantity".
"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," he said.
Starlink, which does not work in Russia, uses a constellation of satellites that orbit far lower than traditional geostationary communications satellites, reducing signal travel time.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this month accused the United States of withdrawing vital intelligence and weakening the Starlink service at a crucial time in the Russian invasion.
Starshield - the military version of Starlink - has provided a lifeline to Ukraine in helping to defend against incoming attacks, as well as striking Russian targets.
However, on October 14, Ukrainian officials began reporting trouble with terminals moving at speed.
The problems with Starlink in Ukraine added to tensions between Kyiv and the US after Donald Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel.
He also pressed the country to stop striking Russian oil refineries and saying it was time for Ukrainians to replace their president.
At the weekend, Ukraine said Starlink and Starshield were again fully functional, but Musk accused the Ukrainian military of violating SpaceX's terms.
Neither Mr Musk nor the US government, which operates Starshield using Starlink technology, have taken responsibility for imposing the speed curbs.
Russian officials have spoken highly of Mr Musk before. In 2025, Putin's investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev said Russia would like to work with him on a mission to Mars.
