Russia is moving closer to building something it has lacked throughout much of the Ukraine war: its own high-speed satellite internet network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The system, known as Rassvet<\/strong>, is being developed by the Russian company Bureau 1440 and is designed to provide low-Earth-orbit satellite communications similar in concept to Starlink. The project has gained new urgency because satellite connectivity has become a critical part of modern warfare, particularly for battlefield communications, drone operations and command-and-control systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rassvet is no longer merely a proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russia launched its first batch of 16 operational satellites in March 2026, followed by another deployment in July. The company reportedly plans to put hundreds of satellites into orbit by next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But there is a problem for Moscow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Building a satellite network is one challenge. Keeping it connected, protected and globally useful during wartime is another.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Ukraine war has demonstrated just how important reliable communications have become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soldiers need to exchange large amounts of data. Commanders need to coordinate units. Drone operators need stable links to control aircraft and receive live information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Traditional communications systems can be disrupted by electronic warfare, physical attacks or damaged infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Satellite constellations offer a different solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of relying on a single satellite, hundreds or thousands of satellites can work together, allowing users to connect as spacecraft move across the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is precisely why Starlink became so valuable to Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russia now wants its own version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although Bureau 1440 has promoted Rassvet for civilian applications, Russian President Vladimir Putin has openly discussed the system in the context of military operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During a June 12 meeting at the Kremlin, Putin told Russian soldiers that work on a Starlink equivalent was progressing and expressed hope that troops would soon be able to use it on the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That statement makes the strategic purpose difficult to ignore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Moscow, Rassvet is not simply an attempt to modernise Russia’s civilian internet infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It could become another component of the country’s military communications network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The importance of satellite internet comes from more than simply having an internet connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Modern warfare generates enormous quantities of data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drones transmit video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Units send coordinates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Commanders receive intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Weapons systems exchange information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The faster that information moves, the faster a military can respond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Space systems engineer Ian Muirhead told RFE\/RL that the Ukraine conflict has demonstrated that high-capacity communications are essential for modern militaries and that satellite constellations are one of the most effective ways to maintain those connections in conflict zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That makes the race for satellite internet partly a race for battlefield speed<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russia’s progress is significant, but comparisons with Starlink need perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Starlink already operates a constellation of more than 10,000 satellites<\/strong> and serves millions of customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rassvet currently has only a small fraction of that number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Experts therefore do not expect Russia’s system to match Starlink’s coverage or capacity immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But size is not the only issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even a much smaller constellation could provide Russian forces with an important communications upgrade if it is integrated effectively into military operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is why Ukraine is already paying attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Vadym Skibitskiy, deputy head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, the number of Rassvet satellites currently in orbit is already enough to allow Russian forces to use the network briefly when satellites pass over Ukrainian territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said discussions have already begun about how Ukraine might counter the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That suggests the competition has already moved beyond development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is becoming a counter-space and communications-security problem<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The irony is that Russia’s own satellite network could create a new set of targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Low-Earth-orbit satellites cannot operate independently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They require infrastructure on the ground to connect satellite communications with terrestrial internet networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These facilities are known as ground stations<\/strong> or gateways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And they have a major weakness:<\/p>\n\n\n\n They are fixed.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Satellites move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ground stations do not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n RFE\/RL’s reporting cites experts who say ground stations are relatively large, stationary and emit electromagnetic signals, making them much easier to locate than individual terminals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ukraine’s Starlink network is supported by ground stations in NATO countries including Poland, Lithuania and Turkey. That creates a significant deterrent against Russia directly attacking those facilities because they are located within allied territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russia faces a different situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If its Rassvet ground infrastructure is located inside Russian territory, Ukraine could potentially regard those facilities as military targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That creates an unusual vulnerability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The more Russia depends on its own satellite network, the more important its fixed ground infrastructure becomes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ukraine has increasingly demonstrated the ability to strike targets deep inside Russia using long-range drones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That means distance alone may not protect Rassvet’s ground infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ian Muirhead told RFE\/RL that Russian ground stations could become priority targets once the network becomes operational at scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This creates a strategic dilemma for Moscow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It can build the satellites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It can launch them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it still has to protect the infrastructure that connects those satellites to the internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is another obstacle that may be even more fundamental.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russia needs rockets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lots of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A satellite internet constellation only becomes truly useful when enough satellites are placed in orbit to provide continuous coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That requires a sustained launch campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Victoria Samson of the Secure World Foundation told RFE\/RL that Russia’s limited launch capacity could become one of the biggest obstacles to expanding Rassvet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russia may be capable of building satellites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The harder question is whether it can launch them quickly enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Imagine having only a handful of satellites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Russian soldier may have access to the network only when one passes overhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is not the same as having continuous connectivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A large constellation changes the equation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More satellites mean greater coverage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Greater coverage means fewer interruptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fewer interruptions make the system far more useful for military command networks, drones and battlefield communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is why the number of satellites matters so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rassvet’s future depends not simply on whether Russia can build satellites, but on whether it can build a sufficiently large constellation fast enough<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most important way to view Rassvet may be as part of a broader transformation in warfare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russia is not merely trying to copy Starlink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is attempting to remove a strategic dependency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ukraine’s military communications have benefited enormously from access to a privately operated Western satellite network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Moscow, that creates an uncomfortable vulnerability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A foreign company can potentially change access rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A foreign government can impose restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And a communications system controlled outside Russia can never be considered completely sovereign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rassvet offers Moscow something Starlink cannot:<\/p>\n\n\n\n control.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This could ultimately be the real reason Russia is investing in the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if Rassvet is slower, smaller and less sophisticated than Starlink, it would give Russia an independent communications network that Moscow can control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That matters enormously during a war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Kremlin would determine who gets access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russian military agencies could integrate the network into their own systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And Moscow would not have to worry about a foreign company suddenly changing its policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In strategic terms, that independence could be worth almost as much as the technology itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Russian-controlled satellite network would also make Moscow responsible for every part of the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russia would have to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is an enormous undertaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Starlink’s advantage comes not from one technological breakthrough but from the scale of an entire ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russia has to build that ecosystem almost from scratch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The satellite-internet competition is not limited to these two countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n China is developing its own low-Earth-orbit constellations, including Guowang and Qianfan<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n European countries and other powers are also exploring similar systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That means the Ukraine war may have accelerated a much larger global competition over communications in space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The lesson is clear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Control of information is becoming inseparable from control of the battlefield.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If Russia eventually succeeds in building a large Rassvet constellation, Ukraine could face a new challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russian units could potentially enjoy more reliable battlefield connectivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drone operators could receive better communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Commanders could coordinate forces more effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And Russian forces could become less vulnerable to the loss of conventional communications infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That would not automatically transform the war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it could remove one of the advantages Ukraine has enjoyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fact that Ukrainian intelligence is discussing how to deal with Rassvet shows that Kyiv is not waiting for the network to become fully operational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The likely competition will involve several layers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ukraine could attempt to disrupt satellite communications electronically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It could target relevant ground infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It could develop methods to identify and track Russian terminals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And it could continue strengthening its own communications alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The space race is therefore becoming another technological contest inside the broader war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is an important irony here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The headline may be about satellites orbiting hundreds of kilometres above Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the vulnerability experts identify is much closer to the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ground stations.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n That means Russia’s futuristic satellite network could ultimately depend on ordinary physical infrastructure that can be located and potentially attacked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moscow can send satellites into space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it cannot put its internet entirely in space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russia’s Rassvet project is moving faster than some observers expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first operational satellites are already in orbit, additional launches have followed, and Moscow has publicly linked the system to military requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the biggest test lies ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Can Russia launch enough satellites?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Can it establish sufficient ground infrastructure?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Can it protect that infrastructure?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Can it make the network reliable enough for military use?<\/p>\n\n\n\n And can it do all of this while Ukraine is actively searching for ways to disrupt it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Those questions will determine whether Rassvet becomes a genuine Starlink competitor or remains a limited satellite communications project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Ukraine war has already transformed the role of drones, electronic warfare and artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now space-based communications are becoming another decisive layer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Russia has recognised that dependence on foreign satellite networks can become a strategic weakness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rassvet is Moscow’s attempt to eliminate that vulnerability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the project comes with an unexpected problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The satellites may be difficult to attack directly, but the infrastructure that makes them useful could be much easier to find.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And Russia’s limited ability to launch large numbers of satellites could slow the system’s expansion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So the Kremlin’s challenge is not simply to build a \u201cRussian Starlink.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is to build one fast enough, large enough and secure enough to survive a war in which Ukraine is increasingly capable of reaching deep inside Russian territory.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If Moscow succeeds, it could give Russian forces a major communications boost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If it fails, Rassvet could become another expensive example of how difficult it is to reproduce the advantages of a mature global satellite network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next battlefield may be hundreds of kilometres above Earth\u2014but the key to winning that battle could still be sitting on the ground.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Russia is moving closer to building something it has lacked throughout much of the Ukraine war: its own high-speed satellite internet network. The system, known as Rassvet, is being developed by the Russian company Bureau 1440 and is designed to provide low-Earth-orbit satellite communications similar in concept to Starlink. The project has gained new urgency […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nRussia Wants to Close a Major Battlefield Gap<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Putin Has Already Linked Rassvet to the War<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why Starlink Changed the Battlefield<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Rassvet Is Still Nowhere Near Starlink’s Scale<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Russian Troops May Already Be Getting Short Windows of Access<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
And Here Comes Moscow’s Biggest Vulnerability<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ground Stations Could Become the Achilles’ Heel<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ukraine Has Already Demonstrated Long-Range Reach<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Kremlin’s Space Race Has Another Problem: Launch Capacity<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why Hundreds of Satellites Change Everything<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The New Perspective: Russia Isn’t Just Building Internet Infrastructure<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Sovereignty May Matter More Than Speed<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
But Independence Comes With a Price<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
The Race Is Bigger Than Russia and Ukraine<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What Rassvet Could Mean for Ukraine<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Kyiv Is Already Thinking About the Countermeasure<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Real Battle May Be on the Ground<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Clock Is Now Running<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A New Front in the Russia-Ukraine War<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n