Russia’s ‘Starlink’ satellites open daily communications windows over Ukraine
Russia’s Rassvet satellites, manufactured by Bureau 1440, provide at least two communications windows over Ukraine each day, each lasting more than an hour, Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi reported on Aug. 1, citing satellite communications expert Volodymyr Stepanets.
Russia's Rassvet satellite system, developed by Bureau 1440, enables daily communications windows over Ukraine, according to Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi. Each window lasts more than an hour, providing Russian forces with potential communication and control capabilities for naval drones, strike and reconnaissance drones. As of July 31, 2026, 12 out of 16 satellites had reached their operational altitude, and one satellite had burned up due to a defect.
Russia has described this system as its equivalent of Starlink, as they were previously unable to utilize SpaceX terminals in Ukraine. The satellites' orbits bring them within line of sight of Ukraine four times a day, offering potentially dense coverage. Military expert Serhii Beskrestnov estimated that Russia would need to launch between 200-250 satellites to sustain stable data transmission, suggesting that enemy use of Rassvet satellites for military purposes might be detectable through satellite traffic or intelligence.
Written by urgent.news from New Voice of Ukraine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
