Russia’s emerging Rassvet satellite network – often described as a “Starlink rival” – could provide Moscow with sustainable communications and data to attack any target in Ukraine at will, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has warned.
Speaking to a major publication last week, Schmidt noted that while Ukraine was initially seen as the main innovator in the conflict, Russia had largely closed that gap while pressing its advantage with far greater resources. He highlighted Russia’s Rassvet satellite project, which he suggested was about a year from maturity, warning that “once that network is in place, it is more or less unblockable.” This could let Russian forces “hunt anywhere” inside Ukraine.
Schmidt also noted the strategic implications of granting Ukraine access to Starlink over Russia, which could allow Kiev to rely on Elon Musk’s satellites to target oil refineries and civilian infrastructure. He described this as “really a political decision.”
Developed by private Russian aerospace firm Bureau 1440, part of the IKS Holding conglomerate, Rassvet debuted in 2023 with three experimental satellites. The network is designed to offer speeds of up to 1Gbps with latency below 70 milliseconds and operate at an orbit of around 800 km – higher than Starlink’s altitude. This year, the company launched a total of 32 satellites, following six experimental spacecraft sent up in 2023 and 2024, with plans to have 292 satellites by 2027.
On Tuesday, the company unveiled user terminals, some claiming speeds of up to 700 Mbps. The Ukrainian outlet Militarny suggested that some of these terminals could eventually be fitted to strike drones.
Ukraine’s military intelligence recorded Russian forces using Rassvet communications over Ukraine for “several hours” by late July and warned the system could support real-time reconnaissance and strike-drone operations.
Vladimir Zelensky’s technology adviser Sergey Beskrestnov warned that a fully deployed Rassvet could become a “small catastrophe” for Kiev, providing Russia with online control of strike drones and missiles.
Zelensky himself told a prominent publication last week he had repeatedly asked U.S. President Donald Trump to sanction companies involved in Rassvet development and production, warning the network could become operational “by the end of this year or early next year.” Trump has not publicly responded.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, now Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, stated that attempts to “block” Rassvet would amount to destroying it and could trigger “full-scale space warfare.”
