Russian President Vladimir Putin has called Elon Musk a "real genius" after his company cut Ukraine's vital access to the internet, leaving it vulnerable to Russian attacks. Musk reportedly ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of Starlink relied on by Ukraine.
Two weeks ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that Trump and ally Musk deliberately blocked Ukraine's access to Starlink overnight after the Ukrainian military faced slowdowns in speed. The satellite internet service is operated by SpaceX, Musk's aerospace company, and provides high-speed broadband globally. Ukraine uses it for military communications and drone operations.
Putin's Praise at Russia-Africa Summit
"Elon Musk is a genius, a real genius," Putin said during the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow on Wednesday. "How many of these [low-orbit satellites] does he have in orbit? More than 5,000, and we're only taking the first steps."
He continued, "We are in close contact with our American partners, including Musk, because it is very important, in orbit, not to get in each other's way and to maintain a certain level of discipline and order." The world's wealthiest man has yet to respond to Putin's comments.
Blame Game Over Starlink Slowdown
The issue of access has been a topic neither Musk nor the White House has managed to control. Each accused the other of pulling the plug on the military-grade service that blindsided Ukraine. The internet slowdown followed several statements by the Trump administration and Musk that Ukrainian officials saw as hostile to the country, leading Kyiv to immediately suspect the order came either from the president or the world's richest man.
It had been suggested that US President Donald Trump ordered the slowdown to show his anger with Zelensky. Musk also blamed the US President, writing on X: "Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and POTUS."
Musk's Defense and Restoration
However, the Wall Street Journal reported that Musk capped the speeds at which Ukrainian hardware could stay connected to the satellite-based network. Musk has also accused the Ukrainian military of violating SpaceX's terms. He said in a post on X, which he also owns, "Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be. Ukraine['s] military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week."
Over the weekend, Ukraine said Starlink and Starshield were again fully functional.
