Putin calls Musk 'a true genius' as Ukraine struggles with Starshield outage

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised SpaceX CEO Elon Musk as "a genius" again on Wednesday (local time).

According to AFP, the BBC and Britain's Guardian, Putin made the flattering remarks while receiving a briefing on Russia's homegrown satellite internet project, Rassvet (meaning "dawn"), during a visit to an exhibition hall on the sidelines of a Russia-Africa summit in Moscow, Yonhap reported.

"Elon Musk is a genius. A true genius," Putin said, praising SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service.

"Look at how much he has put into orbit — more than 5,000 satellites," Putin said. "We are just taking our first steps. But we are proud that we started this and are pursuing it independently."

Putin went on to say that Russia was "in close contact with our American partners, including Mr. Musk," adding that it was important "not to interfere with each other in orbit."

Russian officials briefing Putin at the event said more than 30 Rassvet satellites had been launched. Reuters noted that Starlink in fact operates nearly 10,000 satellites — far more than the figure Putin was briefed on.

The remarks drew particular attention coming as Ukraine had complained that Starshield — the military version of Starlink — had suddenly gone dark earlier this month, disrupting its air-defense operations against Russia. Some analysts suggested Putin's comments were also intended to mock Ukraine's predicament.

Musk in effect admits Starlink was cut off for Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky [Reuters/Yonhap]

On Saturday (local time), Musk said he had blocked Ukrainian forces from using Starlink for offensive drone operations the previous week, Yonhap reported at the time.

Musk wrote on SNS platform X that "the Ukrainian military violated Starlink's terms of service and used it for offensive drone operations to kill people," adding that "such a loophole was closed last week."

"Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone operations to kill people has never been allowed and should never be allowed," Musk said.

However, Musk drew a distinction over Starshield, saying "the US government controls" it and that "it is their decision how to use it."

Built on the Starlink satellite network, Starshield has played a central role in Ukraine's drone operations and communications — particularly in operating medium-range drones, a core component of Ukrainian military power, and in countering high-speed Russian drones.

Mid-month, however, after Ukraine clashed with Washington over the energy truce proposed by US President Donald Trump and a US-Russia transit deal, speed restrictions were reportedly imposed on Starshield, significantly disrupting Ukrainian military capabilities.

Musk also stressed that Starlink was essential to Ukraine's defense, going so far as to raise the possibility that the front lines could collapse if the communications service were cut off.

Meanwhile, on the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Starlink and Starshield communications had been restored to pre-restriction levels. Ukraine's Defense Ministry also issued a statement saying Starshield, the military version of Starlink, was "currently operating at speeds above 400 kilometers per hour" and that "connectivity is stable."

yul@heraldcorp.com