Putin hails Musk as Russia advances military satellite network amid Ukraine communications fight

President Vladimir Putin has praised Elon Musk as a "genius" while saying Russia is developing its own satellite communications constellation for military use against Ukraine. He made the remarks in Moscow at a summit with African leaders, comparing SpaceX's Starlink network with Russia's gradual work on the Rassvet system. Putin said Russia was still taking its first steps, while Musk's network already had thousands of satellites in orbit.

The Russian president said Moscow was in close contact with American partners, including Musk, so that the two sides would not interfere with each other in orbit and could maintain "discipline and order". He also referred to the scale of Starlink, saying Musk had more than 5,000 satellites in orbit, although the total number of active SpaceX satellites is estimated at about 10,000. Russia's own alternative system is still limited, with an estimated 26 working satellites, according to the report.

The comments come as satellite communications have become a direct part of the war in Ukraine. The report says a military version of Starlink, known as Starshield, was suddenly restricted in the middle of October, preventing Ukraine from carrying out medium drone attacks and hampering some anti-drone air defences. Musk first denied ordering a throttling of the connection, then later said he had closed a loophole in which civilian Starlink had been used by the military.

The issue matters because low-orbit satellite networks can shape battlefield communications, drone operations and air defence. Ukraine has relied heavily on Starlink and Starshield during the war, making access to the system strategically important. The report also says Starlink does not work in Russia and that its use by Russia inside Ukraine was restricted earlier this year, underlining how tightly controlled the technology has become in the conflict.

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Putin's remarks also fit into Russia's wider effort to present itself as building strategic technologies independently. The Rassvet project is still at an early stage, and the gap with Starlink remains large. The comparison highlights both the military value of satellite internet and the limits of Russia's current space communications capacity.

What remains unclear is how quickly Russia can expand Rassvet beyond its current small constellation, and how much of the system will be usable for military operations. It is also not clear whether the recent restrictions on Starshield will have lasting effects on Ukraine's battlefield communications. For now, the comments point to satellite internet remaining a contested part of the war, with both sides dependent on systems that can be altered from outside the battlefield.

President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is in the early stages of building its own low-orbit satellite internet network, comparing the effort with Starlink and praising Elon Musk as a genius. He made the remarks while listening to a presentation from Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev in Moscow. Putin said Russia had launched more than 30 satellites so far and described the project as only its first step.

Shadayev told Putin that Musk's system had more than 5,000 low-orbit satellites in operation, although Putin said Russia was still only beginning to develop its own equivalent. The Russian president said the next task was to move from quality to quantity, while stressing that the country was proud to be developing the system independently. He also said Russia was in close contact with American partners, including Musk, to avoid interference in orbit and maintain discipline and order.

The comments came as Putin was accompanied by a group of African leaders attending a summit in Moscow. The setting gave the remarks added diplomatic weight, as Russia has sought to deepen ties with African governments while also presenting itself as a major player in space and communications technology. The discussion also highlighted the gap between Russia's current satellite buildout and the scale of the existing Starlink constellation.

Starlink, developed by Musk's SpaceX, has become strategically significant because it operates at lower altitudes than traditional geostationary communications satellites, reducing signal delay. Ukraine has relied heavily on the system and its military version, Starshield, during the war with Russia, particularly for drone operations and battlefield communications. That dependence has made satellite internet infrastructure part of the wider military and political contest around the conflict.

The remarks also come against a backdrop of tension over access to satellite services and their use in wartime. Ukraine complained earlier this month of speed restrictions that it said hindered efforts to intercept Russian attack drones and forced the cancellation of some operations. At the weekend, Ukraine said Starlink and Starshield were again fully functional, while Musk accused the Ukrainian military of violating SpaceX's terms.

What remains unclear is how quickly Russia can expand beyond the more than 30 satellites it says it has already launched, and whether the project can approach the scale needed for a full Starlink-style service. It is also not clear how much of the system is intended for civilian use and how much could support state or military communications. For now, Putin's comments suggest Russia sees low-orbit satellite networks as a strategic capability it wants to develop on its own terms.

#VladimirPutin #ElonMusk #Starlink #Rassvet #Ukraine