Russian dictator Vladimir Putin called American billionaire Elon Musk a "genius" and said that Russia maintains contact with him. This came amid the businessman's recent conflict with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the war and the use of Starlink satellite communications. The Moscow Times reports, UNN writes.
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Speaking at the Russia–Africa Summit, Putin praised Musk's work in space technology and acknowledged Russia's significant lag in creating its own satellite constellation.
Elon Musk is a genius, a truly brilliant person. How many such satellites does he have in orbit? More than 5,000, while we are only taking our first steps
Musk previously called on Zelenskyy to resign
Putin's praise came after a series of sharp statements by Musk directed at the Ukrainian president. In particular, on October 11, the businessman wrote on the social network X that "Zelenskyy has gone too far," alluding to Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries.
Musk urged people to pity the “poor Russian conscripts” fighting against Ukraine25.10.26, 18:02
In response, Zelenskyy said that Donald Trump and Elon Musk could not stop Putin, so they were trying to pressure others. After that, the American billionaire called on the Ukrainian president to resign and accused him of prolonging the bloodshed.
Amid the dispute, disruptions occurred in the operation of the Starlink and Starshield satellite systems used by the Ukrainian military. The communication problems became known on October 14.
Musk denied being able to unilaterally disable Ukraine's Starshield military system, claiming that it was controlled by the U.S. government. At the same time, The Telegraph's sources in the White House named the businessman himself as the initiator of the restrictions.