Putin calls Elon Musk a ‘genius’ as Russia races to build its own satellite internet network

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin speaks during a tour of an exhibition of advanced Russian solutions with African leaders on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit at the Gostiny Dvor conference centre in central Moscow on October 28, 2026. — AFP pic

First Published: Thursday, 29 Oct 2026 8:50 AM MYT

MOSCOW, Oct 29 — US tech tycoon Elon Musk is “truly a genius” for deploying thousands of satellites into orbit, President Vladimir Putin said yesterday, as Moscow seeks to develop its own satellite internet network.

The American tech titan is the owner of SpaceX, that launches rockets for Nasa and runs the Starlink communications network.

Russia, a spacefaring power, has long sought to develop its own satellite internet constellation for both civilian and military use.

Putin’s comments come amid a spat between Ukraine and the United States over access to Starshield, a military-grade satellite network powered by Musk’s SpaceX.

“Elon Musk is a genius, truly a genius,” Putin said while touring an exhibition on the sidelines of a Russia-Africa summit in Moscow.

“He has how many units in orbit...? More than 5,000. And we’re taking our first steps,” he added.

“We are in close contact with our American partners, including Mr. Musk, because it is crucial in orbit not to interfere with one another.”

Ukraine began reporting problems using Starshield this month, following a row between Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump over a US-Russia diesel deal.

Both Trump and Musk denied being responsible for the outages, although Musk later accused Ukraine of misusing SpaceX’s Starlink internet service for military purposes.

Ukraine says the outages have frustrated its efforts to intercept Russian drones and has slowed its logistics on the front line, as the Ukraine-Russia conflict grinds through its fifth year. — AFP