Putin calls Musk a genius as Starlink throttling disrupts Ukraine drone interceptions

Putin praises Musk and Starlink

At a presentation, Putin described Musk as a “genius,” according to the Russian president’s remarks. He said he was in contact with the billionaire while Russia works on an alternative to Musk’s Starlink satellite internet system.

Ukraine has relied on Starlink for drone operations and battlefield communications. Weeks earlier, Ukraine reported that speed restrictions had hampered efforts to intercept Russian drones and forced some operations to be called off.

Drone attack reported near Moscow

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russia downed most of 613 drones that were heading toward the capital region overnight. He also reported an overnight wave of drone attacks on Moscow. Authorities temporarily restricted flights at Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports, which serve the capital.

Ukraine and Netherlands plan project

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky announced plans for a joint air-defence initiative with the Netherlands after meeting prime minister Rob Jetten and business leaders. The discussions brought together companies from the defence, energy and software sectors to consider closer economic and technological cooperation.

Zelensky said the teams had begun work on a project called Bliksem. The Netherlands is preparing a military aid package worth €500 million, while Zelensky said Ukraine faces a critical shortage of interceptor missiles for its US-made Patriot systems.

Other reports from the war

Russian state news agencies, citing the defence ministry, reported that Russia had struck a cargo vessel in the Black Sea. The ministry alleged the ship was being used to support Ukraine’s armed forces. Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, said 30 hours of a ceasefire in Oleshky had passed without an incident.