Putin calls Musk a "genius" as Russia begins building a Starlink rival

Mixed · 2Russian President Vladimir Putin called Elon Musk "a genius" on Wednesday 28 October 2026 while acknowledging that Russia is only beginning to roll out its own answer to Starlink. 1 2 Mixed · 2He spoke at a summit with African leaders in Moscow, during a presentation by Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev, who said Russia had launched more than 30 satellites. 1 2 Right · 1Putin said: "Just a second, I want to point out this is just our first step. Elon Musk is a genius, he's just a real genius", and later said the task was "to move from quality to quantity". 1

Mixed · 2Shadayev told Putin that Musk had more than 5,000 low-orbit satellites working; the real figure is estimated at about 10,000, according to the tracking site Orbital Radar (cited by Reuters) and the Guardian. 2 1 Mixed · 2Putin said Russia was in close contact with its "American partners – including Mr Musk" because it is important not to get in each other's way in orbit and to keep "a certain level of discipline and order". 1 2 Centre · 1The BBC, which also names the Russian project as Rassvet, reports that the Russian Embassy in South Africa called it "Russia's Starlink alternative" that "marks only the country's first steps in this field" and said Russia "maintains close contacts with the US on space, including with Elon Musk". The BBC said SpaceX did not respond to its request for comment. 3

Left · 1The Guardian names the Russian system as the Rassvet constellation and says it is intended for military use against Ukraine. It puts Russia's working satellites at an estimated 26, so capacity is limited. 2 Mixed · 2The BBC says Starlink has launched roughly 13,000 satellites, according to the company, against only a couple of dozen Rassvet satellites in orbit per online trackers; this differs from the roughly 10,000 active Starlink satellites cited by the Guardian and Orbital Radar. 3 2 Left · 1The Guardian said Starlink does not work in Russia and that Russian use of it inside Ukraine was restricted earlier this year. 2

Mixed · 2Ukraine's military has used Starlink and its military version Starshield throughout the war for drone operations and battlefield communications. Earlier this month Kyiv complained of speed restrictions that hampered its interception of Russian attack drones and forced some operations to be cancelled. 1 2 Mixed · 2Neither Musk nor the US government, which operates Starshield using Starlink technology, has taken responsibility for the speed curbs, according to Reuters. The Guardian says Musk first denied ordering a throttling, then said at the end of last week that he had closed a loophole through which the civilian Starlink had been used by the military. Reuters says Musk accused Ukraine's military of violating SpaceX's terms. 1 2 Mixed · 2The BBC's account differs: it says Ukraine's military "last week suddenly suffered Starlink connectivity problems, something Musk has admitted SpaceX did intentionally". The Independent dates the start of the trouble to 14 October and says Zelenskyy earlier this month accused the United States of withdrawing vital intelligence and weakening Starlink. 3 4

Mixed · 2Ukraine said Starlink and Starshield were fully functional again. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said operations had been restored after about 10 days of restriction, with speeds "now where they need to be". 2 1 Mixed · 2Both outlets place the dispute amid strained US-Ukraine relations after President Donald Trump agreed to buy Russian diesel. Reuters adds that Trump was pressing Kyiv to stop striking Russian oil refineries and had said it was time for Ukrainians to replace their president. 1 2 Centre · 1The BBC adds that Trump's diesel deal was struck to lower fuel prices that have risen because of the US war with Iran, that he then waived certain sanctions on Russia, and that a US citizen was later released from Russian custody, with envoy Steve Witkoff calling Putin a "humanitarian". It describes Musk as one of Trump's biggest political allies and financiers. 3

Mixed · 2The Guardian read Putin's remarks as apparent flattery of Musk, whose control of the technology has raised questions about his leverage over the White House and his effect on Ukraine's war effort. Reuters called the admission "all the more striking" given Ukraine's use of Starlink. 2 1 Right · 1Reuters noted that Russian officials have spoken well of Musk before: in 2025 Putin's investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev said Russia would like to work with him on a Mars mission. 1 Left · 1The Guardian added wider context. Zelenskyy hopes trilateral peace talks among Ukraine, Russia and the US will be held in Abu Dhabi on 6-10 November, after the US midterm elections. Britain announced £10bn in extra financing over three years and £500m for air defence, and the Netherlands pledged €500m in military support. Zelenskyy said Russia had fired more than 100 ballistic missiles at Kyiv and the surrounding region since mid-October. 2