Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that he is in close contact with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk regarding Rassvet, Russia's counterpart to SpaceX's Starlink internet satellite service.
Speaking at the Russia-Africa Summit, Putin called Musk a genius and contrasted the scale of the two programs. He said Musk already has more than 5,000 such satellites in orbit, while Russia is only taking its first steps.
The contact between Putin and Musk carries significant implications for Ukraine. Musk has recently expressed frustration with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose country has been fighting a Russian invasion since 2022.
Ukrainian officials grew concerned this month that Ukraine could lose access to Starshield, the military version of Musk's Starlink network, which Ukrainian forces rely on. That anxiety followed the U.S. easing sanctions on Russia earlier this month. Starlink service in Ukraine appears to have since resumed normal operations.
Musk addressed the stakes of the network in a post on X, writing that the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately if Starlink were turned off. He described the statement as a fact rather than a threat.
The episode puts a spotlight on the degree to which Ukraine's military communications depend on a network controlled by a single U.S. company and its chief executive, even as that executive maintains direct contact with Moscow. It also places Musk's satellite venture at the center of U.S. policy toward Russia at a moment when sanctions pressure has eased.
SpaceX's Starlink constellation is the largest of its kind, and Russia's Rassvet effort is positioned as a direct answer to it. Putin's remarks indicate that Moscow is looking to Musk's model as a benchmark. Neither SpaceX nor Musk has publicly detailed the substance of the contacts Putin described.
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