Putin praises Musk as 'genius' while promoting Russia's Starlink rival

Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed Russia maintains close contacts with American partners, including SpaceX founder Elon Musk, regarding low-orbit satellite constellation operations, while praising Musk as a "genius." Speaking at the Russia-Africa economic forum, Putin said Russia coordinates orbital activities with Musk to ensure satellites "do not interfere with each other" and follow rules, despite political tensions. He noted Russia has over 5,000 fewer satellites than Musk's Starlink network. Putin promoted Russia's domestic Starlink rival, "Rassvet," developed by Bureau 1440, with about 40 satellites launched since March 2026. This follows Russia's earlier warning to the US about potentially downing Starlink satellites amid Ukraine-related tensions.