Ukraine Worries as Russia's Starlink Copy Develops Rapidly

Ukraine is raising alarms over the rapid development of Russia's version of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet system, known as Rassvet. Ukrainian government officials warn that Russia could soon possess the capability to launch widespread drone attacks across the country using its own satellite network.

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Russians will be able to attack our entire country using drones via their satellites.

Serhij Beskrestnov, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stated on Facebook that "Russians will be able to attack our entire country using drones via their satellites." This concern comes after Russia was banned from using Starlink in January, following months of its alleged illegal use. Ukraine has since been collaborating with Musk's SpaceX for its own satellite internet needs.

However, reports indicate that by March, Russia had developed Rassvet, a system created by the Russian aerospace company Bureau 1440. Johan Huovinen, a military instructor at the Swedish Defence University, explained that satellite systems are crucial for communication, especially near the front lines where mobile networks are often destroyed or inaccessible. Initially, Russia used fiber-optic cables for its drones, a system Huovinen noted is more complicated and prone to entanglement.

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The reason you need this is that there is no mobile network at the front. Either the masts are shot down, or there is no access infrastructure-wise.

With Rassvet, Russia aims to deploy 292 satellites by 2027 and 924 by 2035, according to Politico. Ukrainian intelligence officials, like Vadim Skibitskyj, deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence, have warned that the deployment is happening much faster than initially planned. Huovinen suggests that Rassvet could level the playing field, potentially diminishing Ukraine's current communication advantage gained after Russia lost access to Starlink.

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They have started to launch it much faster than originally planned.