Putin Praises Musk as Russia Builds Starlink Rival; Europe Weighs Alternatives After Ukraine Limits

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Elon Musk a "genius" on Wednesday at a summit with African leaders in Moscow, saying Russia is only beginning to roll out its own answer to Starlink. Putin said, according to the Tass news agency, that Musk has more than 5,000 satellites in orbit while Russia is taking its first steps with its Rassvet constellation. He also said he was in touch with Starlink's controlling shareholder. The Guardian reported that the real number of active SpaceX satellites is estimated at about 10,000, and that Russia wants its network for military use against Ukraine.

The remarks follow a dispute earlier this month. In mid-October, the military version of Starlink, called Starshield, was restricted overnight, which stopped Ukraine from carrying out medium drone attacks and hampered some anti-drone air defenses. Musk first denied ordering a throttling, then said late last week that he had closed a loophole that let the military use civilian Starlink. The episode has unsettled officials in Europe and the U.S., and rival satellite companies are now seeking to reduce Musk's hold on battlefield communications.

Left-leaning outlets The Guardian and CBS News tie the story to the war's consequences. The Guardian leads with Putin's flattery and the Russian military aim, adding the Starshield restriction, Musk's shifting explanation and his ties to Donald Trump. CBS News centers on Yulia Spichak, one of five people killed in a Russian drone strike on a park in Kharkiv region last week after Musk limited Starlink access, and interviews her sister Alina. Right-leaning Newsmax, in the excerpt available, leads with European satellite companies moving to challenge Musk's dominance after the restrictions disrupted drone operations. It does not mention Putin or casualties in that text. Both sides agree the restrictions disrupted Ukraine's drones; they differ on whether the focus is Russian praise and human cost or European commercial competition. Axios and Reuters largely echo these two angles.