The key facts
- Ukraine's GUR claims Russia is using the Rassvet satellite system for military communications over Ukraine
- According to Ukrainian intelligence, 32 satellites have been launched into orbit since the beginning of 2026 — in batches in March and July
- Coverage is still incomplete, but during certain periods the communications are already being used for military tasks
GUR statement and data on the constellation
Russia is already using its own satellite communications system Rassvet for military purposes over Ukrainian territory. This was stated by Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, his remarks were reported by Reuters; the report is also cited by Gazeta.Ru. According to Ukrainian intelligence's assessment, the technology could improve the accuracy of Russian drone strikes and complicate the operation of electronic warfare (EW) systems.
System limitations and capabilities
According to Yusov, the satellite constellation does not yet provide continuous coverage over all of Ukraine, but during certain periods, when the satellites pass over the relevant areas, the system can already be used for military tasks. According to the GUR, since the beginning of 2026 Russia has launched 32 Rassvet satellites into orbit in two batches — in March and July; the constellation is planned to be expanded to increase coverage. Intelligence is particularly concerned about drone control prospects: the network could provide two-way data transmission, allowing reconnaissance drones to send information in real time and strike drone operators to change course in flight. In Yusov's assessment, this will in the future make it harder to intercept drones with EW systems. Kyiv security expert Mykola Zentsev believes that the Russian military already has at least two periods of quality satellite communications per day, each lasting more than an hour.
About the Rassvet project
Rassvet is being developed by the Russian company Bureau 1440 as a domestic alternative to the American Starlink network; the developers intend to build a constellation of more than 900 satellites by 2035. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also commented on the project's development: as Life.ru reported, he stated that the Russian Starlink analog is of high quality and that the number of satellites needs to be increased, emphasizing that the next stage should be scaling up the system.
What is confirmed and what remains an assessment
It is worth distinguishing the status of the information presented: the statement itself comes from Ukrainian intelligence and is relayed via Reuters, while the data on the number of satellites and deployment timelines are assessments and plans cited by the GUR and the developer. No independent confirmation from the Russian side is provided in the cited publications. Moreover, both Russian-language publications — Life.ru and Gazeta.Ru — describe the same Reuters report of November 6, so their texts do not constitute independent confirmation of each other.
