Ukrainian intelligence says Russia is already using its Rassvet satellite network to link drones over Ukraine

TLDR

• Ukraine's military intelligence (GUR) told Reuters on 6 November that Russia is already using its Rassvet satellite network over Ukraine.¹
• GUR says Rassvet could let Russian drones exchange data in real time and have their routes adjusted mid-flight.¹
• GUR says the current constellation cannot cover Ukraine continuously, so the link is available only at intervals.²

Reuters reported on 6 November that Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) says Russia is already using Rassvet, a satellite network billed as a homegrown version of Starlink, for military communications over Ukraine.¹ GUR told Reuters that Russia launched 32 Rassvet satellites this year, in March and July, and that further launches by the end of 2026 are meant to expand coverage gradually towards a full low-orbit communications system.¹

For drones, GUR says Rassvet could allow two-way data exchange in flight, so that reconnaissance drones pass on information in real time and operators of strike drones adjust routes after launch, reducing reliance on pre-programmed trajectories.¹² GUR spokesman Andrii Yusov told Reuters that, in the long term, this could make strike and reconnaissance drones more effective and harder to intercept with electronic warfare and electronic intelligence systems.² Yusov also said the present constellation is not enough for continuous coverage, so communication is available only while satellites pass over the relevant areas.² Militarnyi, relaying Reuters, quotes security analyst Mykola Zentsov as estimating at least two windows a day, each lasting more than an hour.² AdriaDefense notes that satellite links do not make drones immune to electronic warfare but add another communications path for defenders to deal with.³

Militarnyi adds its own context: as of 3 November, 30 satellites from the two batches remain in orbit, and the constellation has not reached its planned 800 km altitude, with the officially announced schedule calling for commercial operation to begin in 2027.² It also reports GUR information that Rassvet is planned to be integrated into a space-based target-acquisition system for missile weapons.² AdriaDefense reports that Kyiv has identified 49 Russian and Belarusian companies it says are involved in the project, has sanctioned 10 of them and alleges Chinese-origin components, which the reporting does not independently establish.³ It also says Russia's Defence Ministry did not respond to Reuters' questions about military use of Rassvet.³

Why it matters: if GUR is right, Russia is starting to add a satellite link to its drones, but the claim comes from Ukrainian intelligence, Russia has not commented, and the sources give no evidence of any strike guided through Rassvet.¹²³