Russian Troops Tap Rassvet Satellites as Ukraine Eyes Ground Stations as Targets

3 articles · Updated · Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty · Aug 11

Vadym Skibitskiy said Russian troops can already use Rassvet briefly when its satellites pass over Ukrainian territory, and Kyiv is discussing how to counter that access.
16 operational satellites went up in March and another batch in July, with Bureau 1440 aiming for hundreds by next year to narrow Ukraine’s battlefield communications edge from Starlink.
Ian Muirhead said even a limited low-Earth-orbit network would materially improve Russian command and control, though it remains far behind Starlink’s 10,000-plus satellites and global customer base.
Ground stations could become Rassvet’s main wartime weakness because, unlike Ukraine’s Starlink links routed through NATO countries, Russian stations would sit on Russian territory and be vulnerable to Ukrainian long-range strikes.
Victoria Samson said Russia’s launch capacity is a major constraint, likely slowing any effort to build coverage that is fast or effective enough to rival Starlink.