Putin Calls Musk a Genius, Says Moscow Coordinates With Him in Orbit

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Elon Musk "a genius" on Wednesday, acknowledging the gap between Starlink and Moscow's emerging Rassvet satellite network while revealing that Russia maintains close contact with the U.S. entrepreneur over operations in orbit.

The remarks came during the Third Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow on October 28, where Putin examined a presentation of Rassvet, Russia's domestically developed alternative to Starlink.

Putin Acknowledges Starlink's Lead

Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadaev introduced the low-Earth-orbit satellite system to Putin and African leaders at an exhibition held alongside the summit, which runs through October 29.

Putin contrasted the scale of Musk's existing network with Russia's early deployment efforts.

"This is only our first step, I want to emphasize. Elon Musk is a genius, really a genius. How many of these devices does he have in orbit? More than 5,000. And we are only taking the first steps. But we are proud that we have begun this and begun it independently."

Putin said the Russian system had reached the required level of quality, but expanding the number of satellites remained the central challenge.

Moscow Maintains Contact With Musk

The Russian president also disclosed continuing coordination with Musk and American space organizations, describing orbital management as an area where cooperation persists despite political disagreements.

"We are in close contact with our American partners, including Mr. Musk, because in orbit it is very important not to interfere with one another and to maintain a certain discipline and order. Both we and our American partners value this, and despite all political issues we work closely together — our Roscosmos and other companies."

His comments positioned orbital safety and coordination as areas of ongoing Russian-American engagement, even as Moscow pursues an independent satellite communications network.

Russia Targets 300 Satellites by 2028

Rassvet is being developed by Bureau 1440, part of Russia's IKS Holding, as a domestic low-orbit communications system.

Russian officials say more than 30 satellites are already in orbit, while trackers show about 31 of the 32 spacecraft launched since March 2026 operating at an altitude of around 510 kilometers.

Shadaev outlined plans to expand the network to approximately 300 satellites by 2028, with limited commercial operations scheduled to begin in 2027.

The proposed expansion would mark a substantial increase from the current constellation, although Russia's deployment remains well below the scale Putin attributed to Starlink.

Ukraine Warns of Military Applications

The presentation coincided with new allegations from Ukraine's military intelligence agency, HUR, concerning the companies involved in developing Rassvet.

On October 28, HUR identified 49 Russian and Belarusian companies participating in the program. It said 23 of those entities, including Roscosmos, were not subject to international sanctions.

The Ukrainian agency described Rassvet as primarily intended for military applications, citing potential deployment in command vehicles, integration with Iskander-M missile systems and the control of drones. HUR also said the network would prioritize satellite coverage over Ukraine and the European Union.

Kyiv itself relies heavily on Starlink, whose service on the front line has been disrupted before: Musk reportedly ordered a Starlink slowdown that crippled Ukrainian drones, and Ukraine later said the speed restrictions were lifted after two weeks.

Putin's History of Praising Musk

Putin's latest remarks follow several previous expressions of admiration for the American businessman.

At the Eastern Economic Forum in September 2023, the Russian president described Musk as an "outstanding person" and an "active, talented businessman." Those comments followed reports that Musk had declined to enable Starlink connectivity for a Ukrainian operation targeting Russian vessels near Crimea.

During a February 2024 interview with Tucker Carlson, Putin characterized Musk as intelligent and suggested that his technological ambitions would be difficult to restrain. In April 2025, Putin compared Musk with Soviet rocket engineer Sergei Korolev, portraying the entrepreneur as a visionary focused on Mars.

The praise comes shortly after Putin lectured Nordic leaders on medieval history instead of a Ukraine ceasefire, according to the Financial Times. This time, his message came with a rare acknowledgment of Russia's technological position: Moscow has begun deploying its alternative to Starlink but still faces a substantial challenge in matching its scale.