Putin made the comments at an event in Russia, just days after the head of X/Twitter said he refused to activate Starlink in response to a Ukrainian attack on Crimea.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday hailed billionaire Elon Musk as an "extraordinary person" and a businessman whose company SpaceX has become a major player in the space transportation industry.

Putin's public praise for Musk comes days after the US-based South African businessman disclosed that he refused a Ukrainian request last year to activate his Starlink satellite network in the port city of Sevastopol, Crimea. to assist in an attack on the Russian fleet, stating that he feared complicity in a "great" act of war.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev took to X (formerly Twitter) earlier this month to praise Musk for this decision, calling him "the last adequate mind in North America", which was heavily criticized by Ukrainian politicians.

Putin, who was speaking at an economic forum in Russia's Far East, did not refer to the Starlink incident.

But when asked about the success of Musk's company SpaceX in launching rockets into space, he said: "As far as private companies and Elon Musk are concerned... he is, without a doubt, an extraordinary person. That has to be recognized, and I think it is recognized throughout the world".