Russia has significantly increased the pace of deploying its “Rassvet” satellite system, launching 16 satellites into low Earth orbit by March 2026. This acceleration was noted by a representative from Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, who stated, “They have begun launching the ‘Rassvet’ system much faster than their plans indicated.”
Looking ahead, Russia aims to expand the satellite constellation to a total of 292 satellites by 2027 and eventually to 924 by 2035. Currently, the system can function on a limited basis, only when satellites pass over specific areas. Once a full constellation is operational, it is expected to operate similarly to Starlink. Discussions are already underway on how to counter this development.
Contextually, Starlink services have been unavailable in Russia since the beginning of the year, following a request from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense to SpaceX. On May 31, former advisor to the Ukrainian Minister of Defense, Serhiy Beskrestnov, indicated that while the ‘Rassvet’ system could pose a military threat in the future, it remains in the testing phase. He highlighted that at least 200-250 satellites are necessary for stable global data transmission, while Russia plans to deploy up to 300 satellites in the coming years, with intentions to expand to around 1,000. However, he added that the limited number of operational satellites currently hinders effective combat use due to a lack of stable coverage.
