Russia is accelerating the implementation of its satellite communication system called Rassvet, which is intended to be an equivalent of Elon Musk’s Starlink system, writes Kyiv Independent, quoting the deputy head of Ukraine’s military intelligence services, Major General Vadim Skibitskyi.
According to him, the Russians’ plans are progressing faster than initially planned.
“Moscow is implementing Rassvet, essentially a Russian analogue of the Starlink system. And they have started to launch it significantly faster than was planned in their schedule,” Skibitskyi clarified in an interview given to RBC-Ukraine.
Russia launched the first 16 Rassvet satellites into Earth’s low orbit in March 2026 and continues to expand the system, according to Skibitskyi.
Previous reports indicated the launch of a second batch of satellites in July.
The Ukrainian general revealed that Russia intends to build a constellation of 292 satellites by 2027 and to expand it to 924 satellites by 2035.
“At present, they can only operate intermittently, when a satellite passes over our territory. When the Russians deploy a full constellation of satellites, this system will function like Starlink”, detailed Vadim Skibitskyi.
He also said that Ukrainian officials are already discussing how to counteract the Russian system, without providing details, however.
Details, HERE