For years Ukraine could jam or switch off Russia’s battlefield comms. Rassvet may be the first it can’t
Sanctioning the firm behind Russia's Starlink won't stop it. It can make every satellite slower and costlier to build—and the clock is short.
The Russian low-Earth-orbit satellite constellation Rassvet, built by the Russian private company Bureau 1440, has transformed its connectivity from a few minutes of communication over Ukraine to two stable windows lasting over an hour each in just five months. While the Russian system is still far from matching SpaceX's expansive network, the gap between Russia's current capabilities and what it needs is closing.
Western sanctions have failed to prevent Russia from obtaining necessary components for its missile and drone factories, with some parts reportedly reaching Russia through evasion networks. As Russia builds its own satellite links, the tool that could slow this progress is Western sanctions against Bureau 1440 itself. Despite being placed on Ukraine's sanctions list, Bureau 1440 and its leadership remain outside Western sanctions regimes, making designating the manufacturer an effective step in limiting Russia's satellite capabilities.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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