Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the United States to impose sanctions on Russia's satellite internet system, 'Rassvet' (Dawn), which is being developed with support from China and is expected to be operational by the end of this year or early next year.
In an interview with the Financial Times published on October 3, Zelensky stated, "We are aware that China is developing satellite technology and exploring the possibility of creating something similar to Starlink to support Russia."
Zelensky revealed that he has made multiple requests to the Trump administration to sanction companies involved in the development of this system. He also mentioned that he urged President Trump for sanctions during their meeting at the United Nations General Assembly last month. He warned that the activation of Rassvet could enhance the accuracy of Russian airstrikes.
Russian forces had previously used Elon Musk's SpaceX satellite communication system, Starlink, for drone guidance, but access was later blocked by Musk.
Rob Lee, a military expert at the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), noted, "While Rassvet may not be as effective as Starlink, Russia could use it as a better alternative to Wi-Fi bridges to transmit drone footage to command centers." He explained that this satellite network could be utilized for ground, maritime, and medium-range strike drones.
Concerns have also been raised that once Rassvet is operational, it could facilitate Russian sabotage operations against Ukraine's European allies.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.