Putin Calls Musk a 'Genius' as Russia Races to Build Its Own Starlink

Vladimir Putin called Elon Musk "a genius, a true genius" on Friday — while admitting Russia has barely started building a rival satellite network. Speaking at a summit with African leaders in Moscow, Putin compared Musk's orbital fleet with Russia's own Rassvet constellation. "How many of these [satellites] does he have in orbit? More than 5,000, and we're only taking the first steps," the Russian president said, according to the Tass news agency.

The true figure is higher still. Analysts estimate about 10,000 active SpaceX satellites currently power Starlink's high-speed internet service. That network sits at the center of a diplomatic fight between Musk, the US and Ukraine that flared earlier this month.

What happened to Ukraine's Starlink access?

A military version of the service, called Starshield, was suddenly restricted one night in mid-October. The cutoff prevented Ukraine from conducting medium drone attacks and hampered some of its anti-drone air defences. Musk, an ally of US President Donald Trump, initially denied ordering any throttling. By the end of last week he had changed his account, saying he had closed a loophole that allowed the military to use the civilian Starlink system.

The outage lasted roughly 10 days. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy then announced that "Starlink and Starshield operations have been restored" and that speeds were "now where they need to be." Few observers believe the issue is permanently settled, with relations between Zelenskyy and Trump fraught ahead of the US midterm elections next Tuesday.

Putin appeared to flatter Musk, whose grip on battlefield communications has raised questions about the billionaire's leverage over the White House and over Ukraine's war effort. "We are in close contact with our American partners — including Mr Musk — because it is very important, in orbit, not to get in each other's way and to maintain a certain level of discipline and order," Putin said.

Starlink does not work in Russia, and its use by Russian forces inside Ukraine was restricted earlier this year. Moscow's alternative system, Rassvet, runs on an estimated 26 working satellites — a fraction of SpaceX's fleet, and a capacity ceiling that limits any near-term replacement.

Who is sending Ukraine new money?

Britain has pledged £10bn in extra financing for Ukraine over the next three years, plus an immediate £500m for air defence systems. UK Chancellor John Healey announced the package as part of the government's annual budget. "The prime minister and I called President Zelenskyy to tell him about our commitments in the budget today. He told us: 'You've made my day'," Healey said.

Zelenskyy, who discussed the aid with UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, called it "a truly strong and very timely step" that came "as Russia needs to see and feel that Ukraine will not be left alone." The Netherlands added €500m in military support for the winter and a further €1.2bn in non-military aid, partly to fund urgent repairs to Ukraine's utilities and manufacturing.

The money arrives under fire. Zelenskyy said overnight that Russia had launched more than 100 ballistic missiles against Kyiv and its surrounding region since mid-October, hitting power plants and other key targets in an effort to cause a humanitarian crisis in the capital. Moscow has attacked Kyiv relentlessly this autumn even as Russian forces fail to make progress on the eastern frontlines.

Could peace talks follow the midterms?

Zelenskyy said on Wednesday he hoped proposed trilateral talks — involving Ukraine, Russia and the US — would take place between 6 and 10 November in Abu Dhabi, shortly after the midterms. "We are waiting for the American side. I think that they'll be ready with all the answers after the elections," he told a press conference in The Hague alongside Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten.

Trump, for his part, has reached out to Putin directly, agreeing in early October to buy diesel from Moscow in an effort to reduce oil prices before Americans go to the polls. With the war heading toward what is expected to be its most difficult winter yet, the week after the US vote now carries three deadlines at once: a potential summit, a fragile satellite truce and Europe's largest aid pledge of the season.