![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.fie.undef.edu.ar\/ceptm\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/2026-11-06T154510Z_1_LYNXNPEMA51KN_RTROPTP_4_UKR.jpg\")
\u201cRussia is using the \u2018Rassvet\u2019 satellite system over the territory of Ukraine for\u00a0military\u00a0purposes,\u201d GUR spokesman\u00a0Andrii Yusov said in the statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe constellation is currently insufficient to provide uninterrupted coverage of Ukrainian territory: communication is available intermittently when the satellites pass over the relevant areas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russia\u2019s defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Russia\u2019s Scientific and Expert Council warned of the risks posed by Starlink on Friday and urged a quicker deployment of the Rassvet system.<\/p>\n
RENEWED UNCERTAINTY OVER US SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE<\/strong><\/p>\n Starshield has given Kyiv a major advantage in drone operations and battlefield communications.<\/p>\n Russian forces had been using grey-market \u200bStarlink terminals in Ukraine until Kyiv successfully lobbied SpaceX to disable \u200bthem earlier this year, one of several factors that shifted \u2060battlefield momentum in Ukraine\u2019s favor this year.<\/p>\n However, last month Ukrainian battlefield commanders unexpectedly saw speed limitations imposed on Starshield, hampering the\u00a0military\u2019s ability to intercept Russian attack \u200bdrones and forcing the cancellation of some strike operations.<\/p>\n No explanation has been given for the temporary restrictions on Starshield, which came amid tensions with President Donald Trump\u2019s administration over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries and have now been lifted.<\/p>\n While Russia\u2019s territorial gains on the front line have ground to a virtual halt this year, it has doubled down on strikes against Ukraine\u2019s electricity infrastructure and cities, using a new generation of jet-powered drones that are harder to intercept.<\/p>\n Ukrainian officials have repeatedly raised concerns about Russia\u2019s attempts to build its own version of SpaceX\u2019s network. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week imposed sanctions on 10 companies involved in developing Rassvet, including Bureau 1440 \u2014 the coordinator of the state-backed project.<\/p>\n Bureau 1440 has said it plans to create a constellation of more than 900 satellites by 2035. The company did not immediately respond to Reuters\u2019 questions about Rassvet.<\/p>\n BOOST TO SURVEILLANCE AND STRIKE DRONES<\/strong><\/p>\n The GUR statement said that Rassvet may provide Russia with two-way data exchange with its unmanned aircraft over Ukraine, allowing surveillance drones to transmit data in real time and pilots to adjust the route of attack drones during flight, reducing dependence on a pre-programmed flight path.<\/p>\n That could allow drones to adjust to changes in target location, or evade air defenses.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the longer term, this could increase the effectiveness of strike and reconnaissance UAVs and make it more difficult for electronic warfare and electronic intelligence systems to intercept them,\u201d Yusov said.<\/p>\n Mykola Zientsev, a Kyiv-based security expert, said there were some signs that Rassvet was already having an impact on precision strikes by Russian jet-powered drones.<\/p>\n \u201cIn practical terms, Russia already possesses at least two high-quality satellite communications windows every day, each lasting more than an hour,\u201d he wrote in a recent report. \u201cThat is enough to have operational consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n GUR has published a list of 49 companies from Russia and Belarus that it says are involved in the project.<\/p>\n \u200b\u200bMajor General Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy head of GUR, said in an interview with Ukrainian media in August that Russia was launching the Rassvet system much faster than originally planned and Ukraine was already discussing ways to counter it.<\/p>\n Ukraine said in August it had carried out a long-range missile attack against the Progress rocket and space center in Russia\u2019s Samara region, which produces rockets used to launch Rassvet satellites.<\/p>\n Denys Sienik, Ukraine\u2019s charg\u00e9 d\u2019affaires in Washington, has urged the U.S. to impose its own sanctions on Rassvet companies. He also told Reuters that Russia was developing the Starlink analogue using Chinese components.<\/p>\n The U.S. Treasury Department had no comment on Ukraine\u2019s push for further sanctions.<\/p>\n