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“ Vladimir Putin praised Elon Musk as “a true genius” and said Russia is in “close contact” with him, weeks after Musk cut off Ukraine’s Starlink access. Speaking at a summit with African leaders in Moscow, Putin compared Musk’s satellite network to Russia’s effort to build its own military version. “Elon Musk is a genius, a true genius,” Putin said, adding that “we are in close contact with our American partners, including Mr. Musk.” Earlier this month, Starshield, the military version of Starlink, was suddenly restricted for about 10 days, which hampered Ukraine’s drone attacks and some of its air defenses. Musk first denied ordering the cutoff, then admitted he had “closed a loophole” that let Ukraine’s military use the civilian service for “offensive drone strikes.” According to the Guardian, Putin appeared to be flattering Musk, whose control of the technology has raised questions about his influence on the White House and on Ukraine’s war effort.” Via Aaron Parnas newsletter