Fears Starlink, builds one of its own: Russia rushes to scale up Rassvet
Russia's Security Council on Friday called for an urgent expansion of the country's homegrown satellite internet network, warning that Elon Musk's Starlink system could be used to destabilise society and politics in unspecified sovereign states.The push to accelerate the development of Rassvet, Russia's answer to Starlink, comes as Moscow is already using the nascent network for military communications in Ukraine.Ukraine's military intelligence directorate (GUR) told Reuters that Russia was using Rassvet to support military communications and improve the accuracy of its strike drones while making them harder to jam.
However, the network's coverage remains limited, with communications available only intermittently as satellites pass over relevant areas.Russia has launched 32 Rassvet satellites into orbit so far this year in two batches, in March and July, according to GUR. The Russian government had said last month that it had launched more than 30 satellites as part of the low-Earth orbit network."The constellation is currently insufficient to provide uninterrupted coverage of Ukrainian territory: communication is available intermittently when the satellites pass over the relevant areas," GUR spokesman Andrii Yusov said in a written statement, Reuters reported."Russia is using the 'Rassvet' satellite system over the territory of Ukraine for military purposes," he added.Moscow plans to carry out further Rassvet launches by the end of 2026 to extend the network's geographical coverage and gradually move towards a fully operational low-orbit satellite communications system, GUR said.Russia seeks expanding Starlink alternativeOn Friday, Moscow's Security Council called for an urgent expansion of the country's satellite communications capabilities, warning that Western services such as Starlink and OneWeb could pose security risks to unspecified sovereign states, Reuters reported."To boost the development of the (Rassvet) system, it is necessary to rapidly scale up the mass production of communications satellites and terminal equipment," the Security Council said in a statement, according to Russian state media.The council added that relevant government agencies had been instructed to prepare proposals to ensure the full-scale deployment and sustainable operation of the network.The warning came after a meeting of the praesidium of the Security Council's Scientific and Expert Council, which discussed information security and internet access.
During the meeting, officials highlighted what they described as the risks posed by Western satellite communication networks operating over sovereign territories."During the meeting, the main risks and threats posed by the use of Western space-based communications systems over the territory of sovereign states to destabilise the socio-political situation were highlighted. This applies, first and foremost, to the widely used satellite communications services Starlink and OneWeb," state media quoted the council's statement as saying, Reuters reported.Russian President Vladimir Putin last month acknowledged that the country was only beginning to develop its alternative to Starlink, while describing Musk as a genius.By comparison, Starlink has more than 10,000 active satellites.
Its military version has been used extensively by Ukrainian forces during the war, particularly for drone operations and battlefield communications. Access to SpaceX's satellite network, which Moscow does not have, has provided Kyiv with a significant advantage in the conflict.
