As Starlink curbs rattle Ukraine, Putin calls Elon Musk a ‘real genius’ as Russia plans rival network

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called Elon Musk a “real genius” as Russia develops its own satellite internet network, Rassvet, even as the SpaceX boss imposes restrictions on Starlink system that in Ukraine, potentially disrupting military operations.

Starlink, operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has become critical to Ukraine’s battlefield communications, drone operations and air defences since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The restrictions highlighted Ukraine’s dependence on a privately controlled satellite network and raised questions about Musk’s influence over access to technology used in the war.

Putin made the remarks while discussing Russia’s efforts to establish a domestic alternative to Starlink. He acknowledged that Moscow was only beginning to build its satellite network, even as he praised Musk’s technological achievements.

“Elon Musk is a genius, a true genius,” Putin said, according to reports.

He also said Russia was in close contact with American partners, including Musk, stressing the importance of ensuring satellite networks did not interfere with one another in orbit.

Musk imposes curbs on Starlink use in Ukraine: Why?

The restrictions on Starlink in October reportedly disrupted Ukrainian military operations, affecting drone attacks and efforts to intercept Russian attack drones. Some operations were cancelled as Ukrainian forces experienced connectivity problems.

Elon Musk later said SpaceX had enforced its terms of service after Ukraine allegedly used the civilian Starlink network for offensive drone strikes.

“That loophole was closed last week,” Musk wrote on X.

“Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be,” he added in another post.

Elon Musk said the company had enforced its terms of service after they were bypassed. However, neither Musk nor the US government initially accepted responsibility for imposing the restrictions. Musk had previously said that limits on the speed or usage of Starshield, Starlink’s military-focused counterpart, were decided by the US military and ultimately the US president.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had criticised restrictions on Kyiv’s access to Starlink, which Ukraine uses to defend against Russian missile and drone attacks.

Ukraine said on October 24 that Starlink and Starshield operations had been restored, with connectivity speeds back to the required levels. The Wall Street Journal reported that US President Donald Trump had spoken to Musk and asked him to remove the restrictions.

Russia builds its own Starlink alternative

Russia is developing Rassvet, a low-Earth-orbit broadband satellite constellation operated by Bureau 1440. The project aims to provide satellite internet connectivity and reduce the country’s dependence on foreign technology.

Russian officials said the country had launched more than 30 satellites as part of the effort. Bureau 1440 launched its first 16 production satellites in March and a second batch in July.

The network is targeting commercial services next year and aims to deploy more than 900 satellites by 2035. Its current capacity, however, remains far below that of Starlink, which operates a constellation of thousands of satellites.

Putin acknowledged the gap while discussing Musk’s network, saying Russia was taking its first steps but was proud to have started developing the technology independently.

The Russian president also emphasised the need for coordination between Moscow and Washington to prevent interference between satellite systems, despite wider political tensions.

Why satellite internet matters in the Ukraine war

Starlink has become a key part of Ukraine’s communications infrastructure, helping maintain connectivity where conventional networks have been damaged or disrupted. Its role in drone operations and frontline communications has also given the service strategic importance.

Russia’s efforts to develop Rassvet reflect the growing recognition that satellite internet is not merely a commercial service but an asset with implications for national security and military operations.

Building a rival to Starlink will require more than launching satellites. Russia will need to expand its constellation, establish reliable ground infrastructure and ensure consistent service.

Putin’s praise of Musk comes as Russia works to close that technological gap and Ukraine confronts the consequences of restrictions on a network central to its war effort. The episode highlights how control over commercial satellite technology can influence the course of modern conflicts.

About the Author

Sayantani Biswas is an assistant editor at Livemint with seven years of experience covering geopolitics, foreign policy, international relations and global power dynamics. She reports on Indian and international politics, including elections worldwide, and specialises in historically grounded analysis of contemporary conflicts and state decisions. She joined Mint in 2021, after covering politics at publications including The Telegraph. <br> She holds an MPhil in Comparative Literature from Jadavpur University (2019), with a specialisation in postcolonial Latin American literature. Her research examined economic nationalism through Eduardo Galeano’s Open Veins of Latin America. She also writes on political language, cultural memory and the long shadows of conflict. <br> Biswas grew up in Durgapur, an industrial town in West Bengal shaped by migration, which drew families from across India to the Durgapur Steel Plant. As the only child in a joint family, she spent years listening—almost obsessively—to her grandparents’ testimonies of struggle, fear and loss as they fled Bangladesh during the Partition of 1947. This formative exposure to lived historical memory later converged with her training in Comparative Literature, equipping her to analyse socio-economic structures and their reverberations. <br> Outside the newsroom, she gravitates towards cultural history and critical theory, returning often to texts such as Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. As a journalist, she is committed to accuracy, intellectual rigour and fairness, and believes political reporting demands not only clarity and speed, but historical depth, contextual precision, and a disciplined resistance to spectacle.