The Russian president has hailed the launch of Rassvet, a domestically developed satellite internet network designed to rival Starlink

Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised US entrepreneur Elon Musk as a “real genius” while hailing the launch of Russia’s Starlink rival, Rassvet.

Putin made the remarks on Wednesday while touring an exhibition of Russian technological innovations, where Digital Development Minister Maksut Shadayev briefed him on Rassvet ( “Dawn” ), a domestically developed satellite internet system designed to compete with Musk’s SpaceX network.

“Elon Musk is a genius, a real genius,” Putin said, noting that the American entrepreneur has more than 5,000 satellites in orbit.

Russia was “proud” to have begun building its own satellite network “independently,” he added.

Moscow also maintains “close contact with American partners,” including Musk, to prevent interference between satellites, according to the Russian president.

Both sides value this cooperation and continue working…