Putin Praises Musk as Russia Develops Satellite Network

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Elon Musk on October 28, calling the SpaceX founder a genius and saying Moscow was in close contact with U.S. partners, including Musk, on satellite coordination as Russia develops its own network, Rassvet. Speaking at the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow, Putin said coordination was important to avoid interference and maintain order in orbit. He described Russia as taking its first steps toward an independent satellite system. His account of contact with Musk and U.S. partners was not independently detailed in the reports. The remarks came days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Starlink and Starshield services in Ukraine had returned to full speed following a restriction. The services are provided by SpaceX, Musk’s company. The reports do not establish who ordered or implemented the restriction, or the precise role of Musk or the U.S. administration. Musk said Ukraine had exploited a loophole in Starlink’s terms of service to conduct offensive drone strikes and that he had closed it. Ukraine rejected that accusation, saying it used Starshield to support combat operations against Russian forces within Ukrainian territory....