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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Russian troops have begun using the satellite network “Rassvet” for military communications over Ukraine, which could make their strike drones more precise and more resistant to electronic warfare. According to Ukrainian intelligence, Moscow has already put satellites into orbit 32, but they are not yet sufficient for continuous communications.
Reuters reports this.
Russia is deploying its own low Earth orbit satellite communications system, which it positions as an alternative to the American Starlink. One of the main directions for its military use is ensuring communications with drones performing tasks over Ukrainian territory.
According to the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, during 2026 year Russia launched 32 satellites of “Rassvet.” They were put into orbit in two batches—in March and July.
However, the Russian satellite constellation remains markedly smaller than the American Starlink system. SpaceX’s network has more than 10 thousand satellites, and its military version Starshield operates in Ukraine.
Access to SpaceX satellite technologies plays an important role in ensuring Ukrainian military communications. Russia is trying to create its own system with similar capabilities to reduce dependence on other data transmission channels.
Moscow plans to continue launching “Rassvet” satellites until the end of 2026 year. Expanding the orbital constellation should increase coverage territory and gradually bring the system closer to a full satellite communications network.
Representative of the GUR, Andriy Yusov, explained that currently the Russian system is not capable of providing stable coverage of the entire territory of Ukraine. Communications work with interruptions and depend on when satellites are over the respective areas.
“Currently the satellite constellation is insufficient to provide uninterrupted coverage of Ukraine,” Yusov noted.
Despite limited capabilities, the new system could potentially change how Russian drones are used. Primarily, it concerns two-way information exchange between operators and drones during flight.
Thanks to satellite communications, reconnaissance drones will be able to transmit collected data in real time. This will allow Russian forces to receive information about the situation more quickly and use it for further actions.
Even more serious a threat is the possibility of changing the route of strike drones directly during flight. Instead of moving only along pre-programmed coordinates, operators could potentially adjust the drone’s direction.
Such a connection would allow drones to respond to changes in the target’s location. In addition, operators will be able to change flight trajectories in an attempt to circumvent Ukrainian air defense systems.
Ukrainian intelligence also notes the possible complication of countering Russian drones with EW measures. The satellite communication channel may reduce drones’ dependence on other control methods.
Andriy Yusov emphasized that in the long term the expansion of the “Rassvet” network could increase the effectiveness of Russian reconnaissance and strike UAVs. At the same time, this could complicate their interception by Ukrainian EW and signals intelligence systems.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Росія запустила власний аналог Starlink для війни проти України: у ГУР розкрили нову загрозу". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Expert.
