Putin calls Elon Musk a genius as Russia pushes its own satellite internet
At the Russia‑Africa summit on 28 Oct, President Vladimir Putin praised Elon Musk as a real genius while announcing that Russia has launched more than 30 satellites for a domestic broadband constellation. The Russian digital development minister said the project is in its first phase and will expand in quantity. Musk’s Starlink network operates over 5,000 low‑orbit satellites, with independent tracking suggesting nearly 10,000. Putin added that Russia stays in close contact with U.S. partners, including Musk, to prevent orbital interference. Ukraine has reported recent speed restrictions on Starlink that hampered its drone‑defence operations.
Key facts
- Maksut Shadayev presented the Rassvet satellites at the summit.
- U.S. diplomats alleged a Russian military satellite approached a Finnish radar satellite, a claim Russia dismissed as absurd.
- Musk said SpaceX temporarily throttled Starlink service in Ukraine, affecting military operations.
- Musk and former U.S. President Donald Trump denied responsibility for Ukrainian Starshield outages.
- Putin said Russia is moving from quality to quantity in its satellite program.
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Why it matters
Shows rising competition and coordination challenges in global satellite internet services.
What changed
First published from The Straits Times, The Moscow Times, RTÉ News, The Guardian and BBC News