Putin says Russia in close contact with Musk over rival satellite networks

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Elon Musk as a "genius" on Wednesday during the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, while confirming that Russia and SpaceX are in close contact regarding satellite communications. Putin described Russia's Rassvet network, which aims to rival Starlink, as still in early development stages with over 30 satellites currently in orbit, compared to SpaceX's estimated 10,000 active satellites.

Putin emphasized the importance of coordination between Russian and American partners, including Musk, to avoid orbital interference and maintain "discipline and order" in space. "We are in close contact with our American partners — including Mr. Musk — because it is very important, in orbit, not to get in each other's way," Putin said. He acknowledged the scale difference between the systems, noting that while Musk has deployed more than 5,000 satellites, Russia is "only taking the first steps" but expressed pride in developing the technology independently.

The Russian president stated that Rassvet has reached high technical quality and the focus now is on expanding the constellation's size. The remarks come amid broader geopolitical shifts, including recent U.S. sanctions relief for Russia and ongoing tensions over Ukraine's military use of Starlink and its military counterpart, Starshield. Ukraine confirmed earlier this week that its Starlink and Starshield access had been restored following a nearly two-week disruption in mid-October that hampered drone operations and air defenses during its conflict with Russia.

Putin's comments reflect Russia's stated ambition to develop domestic alternatives to Western satellite systems as part of what he described as ensuring "digital sovereignty." He claimed Russia is one of only three countries—alongside the United States and China—with complete digital information sovereignty and independent technological capabilities.