Russia using own version of Starlink for military comms over Ukraine, Kyiv says – Defense News

Russia using own version of Starlink for military comms over Ukraine, Kyiv says  Defense News

Russia is already using its new Rassvet satellite network — billed as a homegrown version of Starlink — for military communications over Ukraine, according to Ukrainian military intelligence. Russia is already using its new Rassvet satellite network — billed as a homegrown version of Starlink — for military communications over Ukraine, aiming to make its strike drones more accurate and harder to jam, Ukrainian military intelligence told Reuters. Russia has launched 32 Rassvet satellites into orbit so far this year in two batches in March and July, according to the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense (GUR). The Russian government said last month that Russia had launched more than 30 satellites.

That is a tiny fraction of the more than 10,000 satellites in the Starlink network, run by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, the military version of which — Starshield — operates in Ukraine but not in Russia. Access to SpaceX systems, which Moscow does not have, has greatly helped Kyiv in the war against invading Russian forces. Moscow plans more Rassvet launches by the end of 2026 to expand the network’s geographic coverage, gradually bringing it closer to a full low-orbit satellite communications system, GUR said in a written statement. “Russia is using the ‘Rassvet’ satellite system over the territory of Ukraine for military purposes,” GUR spokesman Andrii Yusov