'Real Genius' and 'Close' Contact: Kremlin Praise for SpaceX's Boss Raises Hard Questions for Sovereignty Voters

Vladimir Putin is the President of Russia. Elon Musk is the boss of SpaceX. For many sovereignty-minded voters, that pairing alone is the headline: a foreign head of state and the man running a private company that puts hardware in orbit.

Putin's remarks followed satellite talks with the SpaceX boss, and he praised Musk, saying Musk is a "real genius".

Putin also said he and Musk are in "close" contact. Critics of concentrated private power over strategic systems will see in that a reminder of how much of the modern economy's backbone sits in a handful of unaccountable hands, and how little say ordinary citizens have over it.