Elon Musk is ‘truly a genius,’ says Vladimir Putin

In Brief

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that helium and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk are successful “close contact” astir Rassvet, Russia’s reply to Starlink, Musk’s net outer service.

“Elon Musk is simply a genius, genuinely a genius,” Putin said astatine the Russia-Africa Summit connected Wednesday. “He has already had much than 5,000 specified satellites successful orbit, portion we are lone taking the archetypal steps.”

A imaginable narration betwixt Putin and Musk could person superior implications. Musk has precocious voiced frustration with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose state has been warring a Russian penetration since 2022. After the U.S. eased sanctions connected Russia earlier this month, Ukrainian officials became acrophobic that Ukraine could suffer entree to Starshield, the subject mentation of Musk’s Starlink network, which Ukrainian forces trust on.

There was immoderate merit to these concerns. For astir 10 days earlier this month, Ukrainian drones experienced predominant losses of connectivity. According to the Wall Street Journal, Musk ordered SpaceX to bounds Ukraine’s Starlink access, though different reports accidental the bid came from the White House. Musk claimed successful a station connected X that Ukraine violated Starlink presumption of work by utilizing the exertion for “offensive drone strikes to termination people.”

Starlink work successful Ukraine appears to person since resumed mean operations.

“Were Starlink to beryllium turned off, the Ukrainian beforehand enactment would illness immediately,” Musk also wrote connected X. “This is NOT a threat, it is simply a connection of fact.”

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