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World-renowned programmer and entrepreneur Yevgeny Kaspersky can certainly serve as an example of Russia’s tech pioneers, and is a leader in his field, Russian President Vladimir Putin told TASS in an interview for its project entitled "20 Questions with Vladimir Putin", TASS reported. 

"We have Kaspersky. I believe that he is really good in his line of business," Putin said when asked whom Russia might offer up to be on par with Silicon Valley’s Elon Musk. Putin added that Kaspersky was not the only frontrunner.

He pointed out that the head of the Kaspersky Lab was a true leader in his industry and his company might have scored far greater achievements, if it hadn’t come up against artificial hindrances in other countries. "If the screws hadn’t been tightened, if competition hadn’t been artificially stifled, it would have been much better," Putin pointed out.

When asked whether the name Elon Musk rang a bell, Putin replied that it certainly did. However, the head of state noted that he was not familiar with the popular meme: "How do you like it, Elon Musk?" Delving into the prospects of building a counterpart to Musk’s Tesla electric-powered automobiles, Putin recalled that businessman Mikhail Prokhorov had promised to deliver on that score someday.

"He promised, he showed it to me. I even went for a ride in it. But this hasn’t been working out for him so far," Putin said.