Putin Says Russia Contacts Musk on Satellite Coordination

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Elon Musk as a “genius,” saying Moscow is in contact with Musk and other U.S. partners to avoid interference between satellite networks. Russia has launched more than 30 satellites for its planned Rassvet constellation, an independent alternative to SpaceX’s Starlink for civilian and military use, though it remains far smaller than Starlink’s network of thousands of satellites. Putin’s remarks followed outages and restrictions affecting Ukraine’s Starlink and Starshield connectivity, which disrupted battlefield communications and drone operations. Ukraine later said service had been restored; Musk said the restrictions followed alleged violations of SpaceX’s terms, while responsibility for the limitations remained disputed.