Russia's 'Rassvet' Threatens Ukraine
Ukrainian radio technology expert warns that Russia is rapidly developing its own satellite system, analogous to Starlink, which could shift the balance of power on the battlefield.
Ukrainian radio technology expert warns that Russia is rapidly developing its own satellite system, analogous to Starlink, which could shift the balance of power on the battlefield.
Russia is intensively working on its own satellite communication system called "Rassvet" (Dawn), which is intended to provide its military with capabilities similar to those that Starlink gives Ukraine. Serhiy (Flash) Beskrestnov, a radio technology specialist and adviser to the President of Ukraine, warned in an interview published on Monday that Kyiv has limited time to develop countermeasures.
The "Rassvet" satellites are produced by the Russian company "Bureau 1440." The first 16 were launched in March of this year, with an additional 20 subsequently sent into orbit. Although none of these satellites have yet taken their final orbital positions and the system is in the testing phase, they already provide at least two "communication windows" daily over Ukraine, each lasting more than an hour.
Russian plans are ambitious: by 2027, they intend to have 250 satellites; by 2030, as many as 730; and by 2035, the fleet should grow to 900 spacecraft. For comparison, SpaceX's Starlink network has about 15,000 satellites. Beskrestnov notes that a minimum of 300 satellites is required for constant and uninterrupted communication.
"We have about a year to prepare to counter Russia's 'Rassvet'," Beskrestnov told UNIAN. According to him, Russia is very quickly starting mass production of terminals for this system. "If the Russians can't do it themselves, I think the Chinese will help them. This will happen very quickly," he added.
The expert emphasizes that "Rassvet" is, in terms of its operating principle and purpose, a direct equivalent to Starlink. Technical differences exist in the orbits and the planned number of satellites, which will affect the network's bandwidth, but the terminals will look similar and offer comparable data transfer speeds.
"Russia does not hide that this is technology they will use for military purposes," Beskrestnov warned, recalling a conference where President Vladimir Putin directly confirmed that the system is being developed for the needs of the military at the front.
The introduction of the Russian satellite system could significantly alter the dynamics of the conflict. Russian forces currently have serious problems with communication channels on the front line, especially in transmitting video information from drones to command centers. While Ukrainian units use dozens of monitors to track the situation on the ground in real time, the Russian military currently lacks such capability.
"Rassvet" will enable precisely that, and more. Beskrestnov points out that the system will serve as a communication channel for conducting strikes of medium and deep range across Ukraine, for controlling drones, and for the operation of electronic warfare stations.
The Ukrainian expert warns that the emergence of such a Russian technological solution is not only a threat to Ukraine. "Europe also understands that if there is future military aggression against a European country, these drones and Starlink analogs will become a threat to Europe as well," he said.
As potential countermeasures, he cites the development of own electronic warfare (EW) systems to jam "Rassvet," following the example of Russian devices that jam Starlink. He also calls for strengthening sanctions, as he claims to be "100% convinced that all Russian spacecraft are made from foreign components."
Meanwhile, the situation on the front line remains dynamic. According to reports from the author of the blog Colonel Cassad, Boris Rozhin, since Monday, drone crews of the Southern group of Russian forces have detected and destroyed a drone command post of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with personnel and equipment, as well as three armored combat vehicles. An update on the situation in the Kostiantynivka direction, according to data from the author Geroman, includes the locations of Izhevka, Oleksieievo-Druzhkivka, and Novodmytrivka.
