Russia using own version of Starlink for military comms over Ukraine, Kyiv says
Ukrainian intelligence says the network gives Russia two-way links for drones, with 32 satellites launched this year and coverage still intermittent.
- Russia is using the Rassvet satellite system over Ukrainian territory for military purposes, the Main Intelligence Directorate reported. Spokesman Andrii Yusov said the constellation provides intermittent communication allowing Russian forces to adjust attack drone flight paths in real time.
- Previously relying on grey-market Starlink terminals, Russian forces lost access after Kyiv successfully lobbied SpaceX to disable them earlier this year. This loss prompted Moscow to accelerate development of Rassvet, designed to rival Elon Musk's Starlink network.
- Mykola Zientsev, a Kyiv-based security expert, stated that Rassvet already impacts precision strikes by providing Russia two daily communication windows lasting over an hour. Ukraine also claims Russia is developing this Starlink analogue using Chinese components.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposed sanctions last week on 10 companies developing Rassvet, including Bureau 1440, the project coordinator. Denys Sienik, Ukraine's chargé d'affaires in Washington, urged the U.S. government to impose its own sanctions on the firms involved.
- Bureau 1440 aims to create a constellation of more than 900 satellites by 2035 to establish a full low-orbit communications system. Moscow plans more Rassvet launches by the end of 2026 to expand geographic coverage.
48 Articles
48 Articles
According to Ukrainian military intelligence, Russia is already using the new satellite network “Rasvet”, which is served as an analogue of Starlink, for military communication over Ukraine. It is about the intention to increase the accuracy of drones and make them less vulnerable to the means of REB.
Defense News
Military TimesRussia using own version of Starlink for military comms over Ukraine, Kyiv says
Russia is already using its new Rassvet satellite network — billed as a homegrown version of Starlink — for military communications over Ukraine, according to Ukrainian military intelligence.
Russia using own version of Starlink for military comms over Ukraine, Kyiv says
Russia is already using its new Rassvet satellite network - billed as a homegrown version of Starlink - for military communications over Ukraine, aiming to make its strike drones more accurate and harder to jam, Ukrainian military intelligence told Reuters.
Russian Security Council Calls for Rapid Deployment of Starlink Rival Satellites
Experts on Russia's Security Council warned Friday that Russia needs to urgently expand its homegrown equivalent to Starlink, warning that Elon Musk's satellite network could be used to destabilize countries throughout the world.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
