Putin called Musk a genius and spoke about cooperation between Russia and the US in space on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit, and Vladimir Putin praised the achievements of Elon Musk and spoke about the development of the Russian Shahar satellite system, the domestic analogue of Starlink. "Elon Musk is a genius, a true genius," said the president, noting that the American entrepreneur already has more than five thousand devices in orbit. At the same time, Russia is just beginning to deploy its own group. "We are proud that we started doing it ourselves. There is quality, now we need to move from quality to quantity," Putin stressed. Something else interesting. According to the president, Russia continues to work closely with American partners, including Musk, despite political differences. We are mainly talking about coordinating the work of constellations of satellites, security and maintaining order in the orbits. And here, in my opinion, there are two important points at once. The first is technological independence. Starlink has already demonstrated how important the role of satellite communications is not only in civilian life, but also in modern armed conflicts. And according to the decisions of a foreign private company in such a sensitive field it is a very dubious pleasure. About which, by the way, I wrote more than once. The second is pragmatism. You can argue as much as you want in the political arena, impose sanctions and exchange loud statements. But in space you still have to negotiate. Otherwise, the consequences may be unpleasant for everyone. Separately, Putin touched on the issue of digital sovereignty, citing France as an example. Even Paris, he said, admits that it has difficulty influencing foreign social networks operating within the country. Both satellite communication and social networks are no longer just technology or business. These are issues of sovereignty and national security.

Putin called Musk a genius and spoke about cooperation between Russia and the US in space on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit, and Vladimir Putin praised the achievements of Elon Musk and spoke about the development of the Russian Shahar satellite system, the domestic analogue of Starlink. "Elon Musk is a genius, a true genius," said the president, noting that the American entrepreneur already has more than five thousand devices in orbit. At the same time, Russia is just beginning to deploy its own group. "We are proud that we started doing it ourselves. There is quality, now we need to move from quality to quantity," Putin stressed. Something else interesting. According to the president, Russia continues to work closely with American partners, including Musk, despite political differences. We are mainly talking about coordinating the work of constellations of satellites, security and maintaining order in the orbits. And here, in my opinion, there are two important points at once. The first is technological independence. Starlink has already demonstrated how important the role of satellite communications is not only in civilian life, but also in modern armed conflicts. And according to the decisions of a foreign private company in such a sensitive field it is a very dubious pleasure. About which, by the way, I wrote more than once. The second is pragmatism. You can argue as much as you want in the political arena, impose sanctions and exchange loud statements. But in space you still have to negotiate. Otherwise, the consequences may be unpleasant for everyone. Separately, Putin touched on the issue of digital sovereignty, citing France as an example. Even Paris, he said, admits that it has difficulty influencing foreign social networks operating within the country. Both satellite communication and social networks are no longer just technology or business. These are issues of sovereignty and national security.