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Putin praises Elon Musk as a ‘real genius’ as Russia develops Starlink alternative

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Moscow is advancing its own low Earth orbit satellite connectivity project, named Rassvet, which is currently being built by the private aerospace firm Bureau 1440. At the same time, Ukrainian officials have accused SpaceX of introducing technical restrictions on Starshield that disrupted defensive air operations and degraded high-speed drone signals during Russian attacks. Elon Musk countered that Starshield falls under United States government control and claimed Ukraine breached terms of service by deploying civilian networks for offensive operations.

Key points

  • Russian leadership claims to maintain ongoing contact with Elon Musk to prevent orbital i…: Russian leadership claims to maintain ongoing contact with Elon Musk to prevent orbital interference as domestic satellite development proceeds.
  • Operational limits on satellite networks have disrupted Ukrainian air defense capabilitie…: Operational limits on satellite networks have disrupted Ukrainian air defense capabilities during active Russian aerial bombardments.
  • Conflicting statements remain between Elon Musk and United States leadership over who aut…: Conflicting statements remain between Elon Musk and United States leadership over who authorized the specific restrictions placed on Starshield.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called SpaceX CEO Elon Musk a "genius," as he revealed the two are in "close contact" about developing a Russian alternative to Starlink.

"Elon Musk is a genius, truly a genius," Putin said at the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow on Wednesday. "He has already had more than 5,000 such satellites in orbit, while we are only taking the first steps," he said at an event where he discussed Russia's own satellite connectivity project, Rassvet.

Rassvet is a satellite internet constellation in low Earth orbit, built by the Russian private aerospace company Bureau 1440.

"We are proud that we have begun doing this and that we have started doing it independently," Putin said according to a translation. "We are in close contact with our U.S. partners, including Mr Musk."

"In orbit, it is very important not to interfere with one another and to adhere to certain rules, discipline, and order. Both we and our U.S. partners value this mutual understanding. Together with Mr. Musk, despite all the political issues, we continue to work closely."

SpaceX, Starlink's…

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