Stand behind Ukrainian independent journalism when it’s needed most. Help us reach 20,000 members.

Skip to content
Edit post

Putin praises Musk as visionary, likens him to Soviet-era space icon Korolov

by Tim Zadorozhnyy April 17, 2025 9:08 AM 2 min read
Russia's President Vladimir Putin meets with students of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University in Moscow on April 16, 2025. (Kristina Kormilitsyna / AFP via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 16 lauded U.S. tech billionaire Elon Musk as a trailblazing visionary, comparing him to legendary Ukraine-born Soviet rocket scientist Serhii Korolov during a speech at Bauman Moscow State Technical University.

"You know, there is such a person, he lives in the States, Musk, who, you could say, raves about Mars," Putin told a group of university students.

"Such people (Musk) do not often appear in the human population, energized by a certain idea... Just as the ideas of Korolov, our pioneers, were implemented in their time."

Korolov, an engineer born in Zhytomyr in Soviet Ukraine, is widely regarded as the father of the Soviet space program, having developed the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, and the Vostok spacecraft that carried the first human, Yuri Gagarin, into orbit in 1961.

Musk — the CEO of SpaceX, owner of X, and a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump — has long claimed his ambition to put humans on Mars. He has suggested 2029 as a possible target for the first crewed mission, with 2031 considered more likely.

The Kremlin has been intensifying its outreach to Musk. In March, Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund and a key Kremlin envoy in talks with the U.S., proposed that Moscow supply nuclear power technology for Musk's Mars missions.

Dmitriev called Musk a "great visionary" and said Russia was open to cooperation between SpaceX and Roscosmos, Russia's state-run space agency.

Initially supporting Ukraine by providing Starlink satellite communications, Musk has become increasingly critical of the embattled country and President Volodymyr Zelensky, often echoing pro-Russian narratives.

Despite severe Western sanctions and the collapse of most economic ties with the U.S., Russia and the United States continue to cooperate on some space initiatives.

Trump extends US sanctions on Russian ships for another year
“I am continuing for one year the national emergency with respect to the Russian Federation and the emergency authority relating to the regulation of the anchorage and movement of Russian-affiliated vessels to United States ports,” a U.S. Federal Register document says.

Independent journalism needs a community —
not a paywall.

We’re working hard to show the world the truth of Russia’s brutal war — and we’re keeping it free for everyone, because reliable information should be available to all.

Our goal: reach 20,000 members to prove independent journalism can survive without paywalls, billionaires, or compromise. Will you help us do it?

Can we reach 20,000 members?

News Feed

10:10 AM

Russian attacks against Ukraine kill 7, injure 39 over past day.

Ukrainian forces downed 26 out of the 90 drones, including Shahed-type attack drones, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Thirty drones were intercepted by electronic warfare or disappeared from radars without causing any damage, according to the statement.
9:21 AM

NATO expansion 'fair' concern for Putin, Kellogg says.

"And that's one of the issues Russia will bring up... They're also talking about Georgia, they're talking about Moldova, they're talking — obviously — about Ukraine. And we're saying, 'Okay, let's address this comprehensively,'" U.S. President Donald Trump's Special Envoy Keith Kellogg said.
3:08 PM  (Updated: )

US filmmaker injured by fallen balcony in Kyiv.

"While missiles and drones are flying, we are being injured by balconies due to someone's irresponsibility!" Christopher Walters, the injured U.S. filmmaker, said on social media.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.