President Vladimir Putin praised Elon Musk as a genius, acknowledging that Russia is just starting to develop its version of Musk’s Starlink satellite internet system. This statement is notable as Starlink, created by Musk’s SpaceX, has been vital for Ukraine’s military operations during the ongoing war with Russia. Putin’s comments came during a presentation by Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev, who mentioned that Russia has launched over 30 satellites as part of creating its own satellite internet service.
Putin emphasized that Russia is at the beginning of this journey while Musk already operates nearly 10,000 low-orbit satellites, and he remarked on the importance of advancing from quality to quantity in their efforts. He also indicated that Russia is maintaining communication with American partners, including Musk, to ensure orderly operations in space.
Ukraine has heavily depended on Starlink and its military version, Starshield, but faced issues with speed restrictions that affected its military capabilities. Tensions arose between Ukraine and the US after concerns about the impact of these restrictions on military operations. Recently, concerns were partially resolved as Ukraine reported that Starlink and Starshield were fully functional again, although Musk raised concerns about potential violations of SpaceX’s terms.
With information from Reuters
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