Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Elon Musk as a "true genius" during the Russia-Africa summit in Moscow, citing SpaceX's satellite communications achievements. The remarks come as Russia accelerates deployment of its domestic satellite network, Rassvet, designed to replace Starlink services. Putin acknowledged that Russia remains significantly behind SpaceX in orbital infrastructure, noting the company has already launched thousands of satellites into orbit. He confirmed ongoing contact between Russian authorities and Musk while positioning Rassvet as a strategic alternative for national connectivity needs.