Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday (Apr 16) praised tech giant Elon Musk, comparing him to Sergei Korolev, the chief engineer behind the Soviet Union's space success in the 1950s and 1960s.

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During a discussion with students at Moscow’s Bauman Technical University, Putin praised Musk for his commitment to exploring Mars.

absolutely crazy about Mar"You know, there’s a person who lives in the [United] States, Musk, you could say that he’s s. Such people rarely appear in the human population. Today, it may seem unbelievable, but often, after a while, such ideas become reality," Putin said. 

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Putin added that Elon Musk’s passion for Mars reminds him of Soviet space engineer Sergey Korolev, the engineer behind Yuri Gagarin's historic 1961 spaceflight. Putin noted that individuals with such extraordinary dedication are rare but often see their visions realised over time. “Just as the ideas of Korolev, our pioneers, were realized in their time,” he said.

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Russia and Musk's Mars mission

Putin's praise for Musk - a key advisor of US President Donald Trump - comes amid Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks mediated by the US. This also comes at the backdrop of Russia expressing its desire to be a part of Musk's Mars mission. Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund and Putin’s economic envoy, proposed that Russia could supply a small nuclear power plant and “other advanced technologies” for Musk’s Mars mission. 

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