Russian President Vladimir Putin called Elon Musk "a real genius" on Wednesday and said Moscow is in touch with him about satellites, days after Ukraine said speed limits that hobbled its drones had been lifted. Putin said Russia is in "close contact" with its "American partners, including Mr. Musk," because in orbit it is important "not to interfere with each other."
He spoke at an exhibition on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow, as Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev presented Rassvet, Russia's answer to Starlink, Reuters reported. Shadayev said Russia has launched more than 30 satellites, against more than 5,000 working Starlink satellites. Independent tracker Orbital Radar puts SpaceX's fleet at close to 10,000. Putin called Rassvet a first step and said Russia started the work on its own.
On Shadayev's numbers, Musk has about 160 times as many satellites in orbit as Russia; on Orbital Radar's, about 300 times. Putin conceded as much, saying Musk has more than 5,000 satellites in orbit while Russia is only starting to build its own constellation.
The praise lands in the middle of the Starlink fight over Ukraine. Starting Oct. 14, Ukraine's commercial Starlink and military Starshield terminals were restricted, with fast-moving equipment capped at roughly 100 mph, which hampered the interceptor drones Kiev uses against Russia's jet-powered Shahed munitions. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Oct. 24 that service was back at the speeds the military needs.
Neither Musk nor the Trump administration has accepted responsibility for the throttling. Trump has declined to confirm reports that he called Musk and asked him to lift the limits. Musk, for his part, said on X that Ukraine had violated Starlink's terms by using it for offensive drone strikes, and that the "loophole was closed last week." Ukraine's officials had earlier complained that the restrictions were still in place despite Trump's assertions, and Zelensky has said he feels betrayed by both men. On Tuesday he said civilians died while the services were switched off.
Putin's remarks also follow a separate orbital spat. U.S. diplomats have alleged that a Russian military satellite behaved in a "deliberately reckless" way near a U.S.-registered, Finnish-operated radar satellite that supplies intelligence to Ukraine, the Moscow Times reported. Russia called the claim "absurd."
The praise is not new. Putin called Musk an "outstanding person" in 2023 and compared him to Soviet rocket designer Sergei Korolev in April 2025. What is new is that Putin said in public that the Kremlin talks to Musk about orbital traffic, in the same week Ukraine says its access to his satellites was restored.