Vladimir Putin praises Elon Musk as he describes him as a 'pioneer' and compares him to Soviet space hero
Elon Musk has been praised by Vladimir Putin - and described by him as a "pioneer".
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While speaking to students at Bauman Moscow State Technical University today, the Russian President described Musk as a rare visionary, according to state-owned media outlet TASS.
He said: "You know, there's a man — he lives in the States — Musk, who, you could say, raves about Mars," Putin told students on a visit to Bauman Moscow State Technical University, which specializes in science and engineering.
"These are the kind of people who don't often appear in the human population, charged up with a certain idea."
"If it seems incredible even today, such ideas often come to fruition after a while.
"Just like the ideas of Korolev, our pioneers, came about in due time."
Sergei Korolev is regarded as the founding figure of the Soviet space program, having developed both Sputnik—the world’s first satellite—and Vostok 1, the spacecraft that carried Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space, into orbit in 1961.
Musk, the wealthiest man in the world, top advisor and right hand man to Donald Trump, leads SpaceX, an American aerospace company that provides rocket launch services for NASA and operates the Starlink satellite internet system.
Musk has frequently voiced criticism of Ukraine, which remains engaged in a bitter conflict now entering its third year against Russia.
Last year, the Wall Street Journal reported the two had been in regular contact since 2022.
Read more: Foreign Secretary joins officials in Paris for major peace talks for Ukraine
Russian forces have launched a massive drone attack on the south-eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipro, killing three people including a child and wounding dozens, officials said.
The strike was the latest in a string of Russian attacks that have caused civilian casualties and intensified in recent weeks, as the United States continues efforts to negotiate a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv.
Thirty people, including five children, were wounded in the attack, said Serhii Lysak, head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional administration.
Local authorities said the drones caused widespread damage to civilian infrastructure, including an educational institution, a dormitory, a gymnasium and multiple residential buildings.
Emergency Service said the strikes triggered multiple fires across the city.
In reaction to the Dnipro attack, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky urged allies to support the country with air defence weapons.
"Every defence package from partners for Ukraine now, every form of support from the world for our resilience, is literally protecting lives," Mr Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
"Russia uses every day and every night to kill."
