Putin called Elon Musk a "real genius"

Vladimir Putin praised Elon Musk as a "true genius" during the Russia-Africa summit, emphasizing the need for collaboration on satellite internet projects. He noted that Russia's Rassvet project must coordinate with American companies to avoid satellite collisions. Despite political tensions, Putin affirmed ongoing cooperation with Musk. While Starlink has launched around 13,000 satellites, Rassvet has only a few dozen in orbit. Recent issues with Starlink connections in Ukraine coincided with a new diesel agreement between the U.S. and Russia, raising concerns among analysts. Russia recently launched 16 additional satellites to enhance its internet service, but initial results have been underwhelming.