Deputy Chief of Ukrainian Military Intelligence Vadym Skibitskyi warns that Moscow is deploying the 'Rassvet' satellite system significantly faster than planned, which could shift the balance of power on the battlefield.
Russia has significantly accelerated the development of its own satellite communication system, 'Rassvet' (Russian: Рассвет), which is intended to become the domestic counterpart to the American Starlink, said Major General Vadym Skibitskyi, Deputy Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, on Monday. The pace of satellite launches has exceeded Russia's initial plans, raising alarm in Kyiv.
'Moscow is introducing Rassvet, practically a Russian analog of the Starlink system. They have started launching it much faster than their plans had anticipated,' Skibitskyi said, as reported by the regional portal Webtribune.
According to Ukrainian intelligence data, Russia had already placed 16 satellites into low Earth orbit by March 2026. However, the plans are far more ambitious: by 2027, the constellation is expected to grow to 292 satellites, and by 2035, to as many as 924. The satellites are being developed by the Russian company 'Bureau 1440'.
Currently, the system's operational capability is limited by the satellites' orbital positions. The Rassvet satellites pass over Ukrainian territory four times a day, providing at least two communication windows daily, each lasting over an hour. This still does not offer continuous satellite connectivity, but an increase in the number of satellites should remove this limitation.
Skibitskyi emphasizes that the situation would become critical once Russia deploys the full planned constellation. 'When the Russians deploy the full satellite group, this system will work like Starlink. Discussions are already underway on how to counter it,' the senior Ukrainian official warned.
The development of Rassvet is being closely monitored by Ukrainian military intelligence due to the possibility that, once fully operational, the system could provide the Russian military with stable communications independent of existing foreign systems. A complete satellite network would give Russia the communication resilience that Starlink has so far provided to Ukraine.
