Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that he maintains close communication with Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, regarding Rassvet, Russia’s equivalent to Musk’s satellite internet service, Starlink.
During the Russia-Africa Summit on Wednesday, Putin praised Musk, saying, “He is a true genius. He has successfully launched over 5,000 satellites into orbit, while we are just beginning our journey.”
The potential collaboration between Putin and Musk raises significant concerns. Musk has recently expressed dissatisfaction with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose country has been under siege from Russian forces since 2022. Following the recent easing of U.S. sanctions on Russia, Ukrainian officials have voiced worries that they might lose access to Starshield, the military variant of Musk’s Starlink service that Ukrainian troops depend on.
These apprehensions have some basis. Earlier this month, Ukrainian drones reportedly encountered significant connectivity issues for approximately ten days. According to various reports, Musk instructed SpaceX to restrict Ukraine’s access to Starlink, although some sources attribute this order to the White House. Musk defended his position in a post on X, alleging that Ukraine had breached Starlink’s terms of service by utilizing the system for “offensive drone strikes that result in casualties.”
Currently, the Starlink service in Ukraine appears to be functioning normally again.
In another post on X, Musk remarked, “If Starlink were to go offline, the Ukrainian front lines would collapse instantly. This is not a threat, just a statement of fact.”
