Putin calls Musk a 'real genius' after Starlink outage hits Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Elon Musk a "real genius" after SpaceX's Starlink reportedly cut Ukraine's internet access two weeks ago, leaving the country vulnerable to Russian attacks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Trump and Musk of deliberately blocking the service overnight. The slowdown followed hostile statements from the Trump administration and Musk, with Kyiv suspecting orders came from either leader. Musk blamed the US government, saying Starshield systems are controlled by the military and president, while the Wall Street Journal reported he capped Ukrainian hardware speeds. Musk also accused Ukraine's military of violating Starlink's terms by using it for offensive drone strikes, saying the loophole was closed. Over the weekend, Ukraine confirmed Starlink and Starshield were fully functional again.