Vladimir Putin praised Elon Musk's "genius" at a Russia-Africa summit in Moscow, contrasting SpaceX's satellite network with Russia's nascent Rassvet constellation.
"Elon Musk is a genius, a true genius," the Russian president said, according to Tass. "How many of these satellites does he have in orbit? More than 5,000, and we're only taking the first steps."
Russia's digital development minister, Maksut Shadayev, said at the same summit that Moscow had launched more than 30 satellites for the project, though the Guardian put the number of working units at 26.
SpaceX's actual satellite count is closer to 10,000, far above the figure Putin cited, and the company's Falcon 9 rocket now handles the bulk of commercial launch traffic worldwide, accounting for roughly 90% of mass launched into orbit by Musk's own estimate.
Putin said he remains in "close contact with our American partners, including Mr Musk," to keep order in orbit, though no formal agreement between Moscow and Musk has been documented.
The comments follow a diplomatic flashpoint over Starshield, the military variant of Starlink, which was abruptly restricted in mid-October, hampering Ukrainian drone strikes and air defences before Musk said he had closed a "loophole" allowing military use of the civilian service.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week that Starlink and Starshield operations had been restored "where they need to be".
However, he said he is still awaiting a US response on proposed trilateral peace talks with Russia, hoped to take place in Abu Dhabi between 6 and 10 November.
Starlink remains unlicensed for use inside Russia itself.
