Much faster than planned: GUR revealed when Russia will get a Starlink analogue

Russia is deploying the satellite system "Rassvet" — an analogue of Starlink — much faster than its plans had anticipated. This was stated by Deputy Head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Major General Vadym Skibitsky, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.

"Moscow is implementing 'Rassvet' — effectively the Russian analogue of the Starlink system. And they began launching it much faster than their plans had foreseen," he said.

Skibitsky recalled that in March 2026 the Russian Federation already placed 16 satellites into low Earth orbit.

Next, according to him, the Russians will launch others. Their goal is to create a constellation totaling 292 satellites in 2027 and to increase it to 924 satellites in 2035.

"For now they can operate fragmentarily, when a satellite passes over our territory. When the Russians deploy a full satellite constellation — this system will operate like Starlink. And there is already a discussion about how to deal with it," said the deputy head of GUR of the Ministry of Defense.

Russian 'Rassvet' satellites — what is known

As UNIAN reported, the Russian 'Rassvet' satellites from the company 'Bureau 1440' are already providing at least two 'communication windows' per day over Ukraine, each lasting more than an hour.

As of 31 July 2026 the satellites launched at the end of March 2026 have essentially completed deployment into an operational formation in orbit.

Importantly, the Russian satellites are on orbits that allow them to pass into view over Ukraine four times a day. However, only during two or three of those four passes do the satellites rise sufficiently high above the horizon to provide a stable connection with ground terminals.