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Russian President Vladimir Putin said on October 28 that Russia remains in contact with Elon Musk over satellite constellations, praising the SpaceX founder as a “genius” while touting Moscow’s efforts to build its own satellite internet network to rival Starlink.
“We are in close contact with our American partners, including Mr. Musk,” Putin said during a visit to an exhibition held alongside the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow.
Putin further noted that cooperation was important to prevent satellites from interfering with one another despite political disagreements between the two countries.
“Musk is a genius, truly a genius,” Putin said. “How many spacecraft does he have in orbit? More than 5,000. And we are only taking our first steps.”
Russia’s homegrown satellite internet project, called Rassvet, is being developed by Bureau 1440, a subsidiary of Russian technology group IKS Holding.
Bureau 1440 is building a low-Earth-orbit constellation designed to provide broadband internet access, with commercial service planned for 2027. Russia has launched more than 30 Rassvet satellites, although the network remains at an early stage of deployment.
Putin said Russia was proud to have begun developing the system independently and emphasized the need for coordination in space.
“On orbit, it is very important not to interfere with one another, to observe a certain discipline and order,” he said, adding that Russia’s space agency Roscosmos and other companies were working closely with their American counterparts.
Putin’s remarks highlighted continued contacts on satellite constellations despite political tensions between Moscow and Washington.
The Russian project has a certain military significance. Ukraine’s military intelligence told the defense publication Janes in September that Russian forces had used the first group of Rassvet satellites for communications over Ukraine for several hours in July. The agency warned that a larger constellation could support real-time data transmission and the operation of reconnaissance and strike drones.
SpaceX’s Starlink network has become a major provider of satellite broadband worldwide, including for Ukrainian military communications during the conflict.
Developing an independent system would give Moscow an alternative for satellite connectivity and reduce its reliance on foreign communications infrastructure.
It’s worth noting that Musk recently faced accusations of restricting the service for Ukrainian forces, while he said the limits followed violations of Starlink’s terms by Kyiv, which he accused of using the civilian network for offensive drone strikes against Russia.
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one puppet is praising another puppet, musk is nothing but a front man for black projects of us gov, this way average citizen will not be able to protest the digital prison for the whole world that us gov is making via musks fake companies. putin is also controlled by the same guys as usa is under. wake up!