The Russian version of "Starlink" is put into use in Ukraine, and drones may be more difficult to interfere with

Ukrainian military intelligence units stated that the Russian army has used the Russian-made Rassvet (tentative translation) low-orbit satellite network for military communications in Ukraine, aiming to make its drone strikes more accurate and harder to interfere with.

"Dawn" is called the Russian version of "Starlink". Reuters reported on the 6th that the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Intelligence Service (GUR) stated in a statement that Russia launched a total of 32 Rassvet satellites into orbit in two batches in March and July this year. Although the current deployment scale is still far less than the Starlink of the American billionaire Musk's "SpaceX", Moscow plans to continue the launch before the end of the year to expand the geographical coverage of the satellite network and gradually approach a complete low-orbit satellite communication system.

GUR spokesman Yusov (Andrii Yusov said, "Russia is using the Rassvet satellite system over the territory of Ukraine for military purposes." The current number of satellite groups is not enough to continuously cover Ukraine, and intermittent communication is only possible when satellites fly over relevant areas; however, Rassvet may allow Russia to conduct two-way data transmission with drones over Ukraine, so that its reconnaissance drones can transmit information back in real time, and the operator can also adjust the route of the attack drone during its flight, reducing reliance on pre-set flight paths.

This development could allow drones to adjust to changing target locations or bypass air defense systems. "In the long term, this may increase the effectiveness of Russian attack and reconnaissance drones and make it more difficult for electronic warfare and electronic intelligence systems to intercept them," Yusov said.

Kyiv security expert Mykola Zientsev pointed out that there are signs that Rassvet has had an impact on the precision strikes of Russian jet-powered drones. "In practice, the Russian military now has at least two high-quality satellite communication periods every day, each period of more than one hour... is enough to bring about operational impact."

The military version of Starlink, "Starshield," can operate in Ukraine, but cannot be used in Russia. Previously, Russia had been using Starlink terminals obtained from the gray market in Ukraine. Until earlier this year, Kiev successfully persuaded SpaceX to stop using Russia. This is one of several factors that have turned the battlefield situation in Ukraine to benefit the Ukrainian military this year. However, last month the Ukrainian army's use of the system was suddenly restricted, hampering the Ukrainian army's ability to intercept Russian drones.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly expressed concerns about Russia's construction of satellite network systems. Last week, President Zelensky sanctioned 10 companies involved in the development of Rassvet, including Bureau 1440, the Russian company responsible for coordinating the Rassvet project.

On the 6th, the Scientific Expert Committee under the Security Council of the Russian Federation warned of the risks posed by Starlink and urged the accelerated deployment of the Rassvet system. Bureau 1440 has stated that it plans to establish a satellite constellation of more than nine satellites by 2035. Neither the Russian Ministry of Defense nor the 1440 Directorate have responded to the report.