Putin says he is in close contact with Elon Musk and praises him

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Elon Musk has deployed 5,000 satellites in orbit and that he is in close contact with Musk, calling him a "real genius." Putin made the remarks while discussing the Rassvet project, which Moscow presents as a Russian counterpart to Starlink but which has not reached commercial operation.

Putin spoke on the sidelines of the Russia Africa session on Wednesday and contrasted Musk's current satellite presence with Russia's own progress, saying Moscow was still taking its initial steps in this area. The Russian leader did not specify the nature of his contact with Musk; analysts and officials have noted that such public statements could carry consequences for Musk depending on context and follow-up.

Starlink, Starshield and operational concerns

The comments arrive amid tension over SpaceX services in Ukraine. The president of Ukraine recently criticized Musk, while Musk posted on the social platform X that Ukraine's targeting of refineries and other infrastructure had been excessive. Separately, reports say some removal of US sanctions against Russia last month has heightened concern about potential limits on Ukrainian access to SpaceX's military service, Starshield.

Starshield is described as the military variant of Starlink and has been provided by the United States to give Ukrainian forces internet connectivity. Officials and reports warn that if access to that service were cut, it could disrupt targeting and navigation systems for military platforms and reduce communications among units.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk recently restricted Starlink use by Ukrainian forces, a move the paper said interfered with the operation of some military drones. Other sources have suggested the limitation may have followed an instruction from the White House. In response to such allegations, Musk said Ukraine had violated Starlink's terms of use and used SpaceX internet services for offensive operations targeting people. He added that "if Starlink in Ukraine is cut, the Ukrainian front collapses," and characterised that statement as a fact rather than a threat.

Putin's praise of Musk, his reference to close contact, and the unresolved questions over control of satellite services leave several policy and operational issues open as Rassvet remains under development and Starlink-related decisions continue to attract scrutiny.