In brief

• Putin called Elon Musk a genius and said Russia stays in close contact with him and other US partners on satellite operations.
• The remarks were made at the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow, as Russia promotes its Rassvet satellite internet project.
• Starlink has about 13,000 satellites against a couple of dozen Rassvet satellites in orbit.

Praise at the Russia-Africa summit

Putin made the comments on Wednesday at the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow, where he discussed Rassvet, a state-backed satellite internet constellation that provides connectivity from orbit (Elon Musk is a 'real genius', Putin says after satellite talks with SpaceX boss – BBC News). He described Musk as a genius and a true one, and asked how many satellites the entrepreneur had in orbit, answering that the figure exceeded 5,000 while Russia was only at the beginning (Putin hails Elon Musk’s ‘genius’ amid plans for Russian version of Starlink – The Guardian). The Starlink network operated by Musk's SpaceX has launched roughly 13,000 satellites, according to the company, while only a couple of dozen Rassvet satellites are currently in orbit, based on online satellite trackers.

Coordination in orbit

Putin said Moscow maintains close contact with American partners, including Musk, because satellites from different operators must avoid interfering with one another (Putin Calls Elon Musk a ‘Real Genius,’ Says Russia Coordinates With Him on Satellites – Gizmodo). He argued that both sides value this mutual discipline and said that, despite political disagreements, they cooperate closely on the issue (‘A Real Genius’: Putin Showers Elon Musk With Praise – The Moscow Times). The Rassvet satellites were presented at the summit by Digital Development and Communication Minister Maksut Shadayev.

Political backdrop

The remarks follow a dispute in which US diplomats last week accused Russia of reckless conduct after a Russian military satellite came close to a radar satellite registered in the United States and operated from Finland. Starlink is also at the center of a dispute involving Musk, Washington and Ukraine. Reports say Musk recently restricted the use of Starshield by the Ukrainian army (Putin zachwycony Elonem Muskiem. Ujawnił, co łączy Rosję z amerykańskim miliarderem – Rzeczpospolita), and the Starlink network has been used in Ukraine for military communications.