This week, as Vladimir Putin was listening to a presentation by Russian Minister of Digital Development, Maksut Shadayev, wherein he announced that Russia had launched more than 30 satellites similar to those produced by Starlink, Putin interrupted and asked a question about the number of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites presently in operation.

When Shadayev replied that Musk had more than 5,000 low-orbit satellites up and running, Putin responded:

“Just a second, I want to point out this is just our first step. Elon Musk is a genius, he’s just a real genius.”

[Source: Mark Trevelyan, Reuters, October 28, 2026.]

That was quite a concession on Putin’s part . . . even if it is something of an exaggeration.

Musk’s real genius, to use Putin’s description, is entrepreneurship. He is a visionary, a promoter, a salesman . . . he’s P. T. Barnum with a South African accent and a knack for making money — tons of it. But he did not create those satellites.

Still, he did build the industry that creates them, and perhaps that is the genius to which Putin was referring.

In any event, it is most unusual — and somewhat puzzling — to hear the Russian autocrat give that kind of credit to a de facto adversary. Unless, of course, they’re actually better friends than we are supposed to know.

Musk is, after all, a charter member of Donald Trump’s innermost inner circle.

And any friend of Donald’s . . .

. . . is likely to be a friend of Vlad’s.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
10/30/26