Russian president Vladimir Putin said that he and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk are in “close contact” about Rassvet, Russia’s answer to Starlink, Musk’s internet satellite service.
“Elon Musk is a genius, truly a genius,” Putin said at the Russia-Africa Summit on Wednesday. “He has already had more than 5,000 such satellites in orbit, while we are only taking the first steps.”
A potential relationship between Putin and Musk could have serious implications. Musk has recently voiced frustration with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose country has been fighting a Russian invasion since 2022. After the U.S. eased sanctions on Russia earlier this month, Ukrainian officials became concerned that Ukraine could lose access to Starshield, the military version of Musk’s Starlink network, which Ukrainian forces rely on.
There was some merit to these concerns. For about 10 days earlier this month, Ukrainian drones experienced frequent losses of connectivity. According to the Wall Street Journal, Musk ordered SpaceX to limit Ukraine’s Starlink access, though other reports say the order came from the White House. Musk claimed in a post on X that Ukraine violated Starlink terms of service by using the technology for “offensive drone strikes to kill people.”
Starlink service in Ukraine appears to have since resumed normal operations.
“Were Starlink to be turned off, the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately,” Musk also wrote on X. “This is NOT a threat, it is simply a statement of fact.”
