Putin praises Musk as Russia takes its first steps toward a Starlink rival

At a Moscow summit, Putin praised Musk as “a real genius” while calling Russia’s Starlink rival a first step, Reuters reported. Minister Maksut Shadayev said Russia had launched more than 30 satellites, and The Moscow Times identified the project as Rassvet. Ukraine’s military has used a version of Starlink, Reuters reported. Putin claimed close contact with Musk over avoiding interference in orbit, but Reuters gave no response from Musk.