Russian President Vladimir Putin called Elon Musk a "real genius" on Wednesday during the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, stating the two are in "close" contact about satellite technology. Putin said Russia needs to maintain contact with Musk so that Russia's Rassvet satellite internet project and Starlink do not "interfere with each other in orbit." Putin added: "We and our American partners value this mutually, and despite all the political questions, we are working hard." The Russian Embassy in South Africa confirmed that Russia maintains close contacts with Musk on space issues. Starlink has launched roughly 13,000 satellites. Rassvet currently has only a couple of dozen satellites in orbit, according to online satellite trackers. SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.