Ukraine is asking Washington to cut off the supply chain behind Russia's answer to Starlink before it reaches orbit in large numbers. Acting ambassador Denys Sienik told Reuters on Sept. 30 that Kyiv will give the US administration and Congress details of the companies and individuals supporting Rassvet, the low-Earth-orbit broadband constellation being built by Bureau 1440, part of IKS Holding.

The concern, as Ukrainian officials describe it, is less about consumer internet than about drones. A working Russian LEO network could give Russian operators the kind of beyond-line-of-sight, low-latency link that Ukraine has relied on Starlink to provide. "If these entities are not sanctioned, it will actually make this programme possible for Russia and that will be a game-changer," Sienik said, according to Ukrainska Pravda, which cited Reuters.

A sanctions window with a deadline

The request comes with a specific legal hook. Sienik told the Associated Press that Rassvet's suppliers are among Kyiv's top targets under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which President Trump signed on Sept. 18. Under the law, the administration faces an Oct. 18 deadline to decide which Russian entities to sanction, AP reported.

Ukraine's argument is that the existing sanctions leave a gap. According to the AP report, the main developer is already under US sanctions, but the companies producing its components are not. Kyiv says it will present Washington with details of the companies and individuals it says are supporting the program, and AP reports the component makers are among its top targets.

If the network is completed, Sienik told AP, "it will be able to attack Ukraine at will with real-time information," warning that the capability could prove particularly damaging as winter approaches.

What Rassvet is, and how far along it is

Public figures on the constellation's schedule vary by source and should be read as Russian plans, not demonstrated capability:

  • Launches to date: Bureau 1440 launched its first 16 satellites on March 23 and a second batch on July 20, the Kyiv Independent reported.
  • Service start: A Russian portal says commercial operations are planned for 2027. IKS Holding CEO Alexei Shelobkov said in June that operational deployment begins in 2027.
  • Constellation size: AP reports a plan for 292 satellites by 2027 and 924 by 2035. Ukrainska Pravda puts the plan at roughly 900 satellites.

Two launch batches, the first of 16 satellites, is a long way from the 292 satellites AP says are planned by 2027. The constellation still depends on production and launches it has not yet completed, which is the window Kyiv is trying to use. Sienik told Reuters that if Russia launches Rassvet by the end of 2026, it will be able to hit Ukrainian targets in real time on Ukrainian territory, per Ukrainska Pravda.

Ukraine has also gone after the launch side directly. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 15 that Flamingo missiles struck the Progress plant in Samara Oblast. Presidential technology adviser Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov linked the plant to the rockets used for Rassvet launches, but said the impact on their schedule was unknown, the Kyiv Independent reported.

The asymmetry Kyiv is worried about

Beskrestnov, known as "Flash," warned that Rassvet could support remotely piloted attacks across Ukraine. He pointed to an imbalance that would favor Russia: Ukraine cannot use Starlink over Russian territory.

According to Ukrainska Pravda, geofencing restrictions prevent Ukraine from using the service for real-time UAV guidance inside Russia. Russia's own access to Starlink has been closed off as well. The Kyiv Independent reports that Russian use of Starlink terminals has been blocked since February, with service limited to verified devices.

Taken together, those facts explain Kyiv's alarm. Today, neither side can fly satellite-linked drones deep into the other's territory over Starlink. Kyiv's concern is that a Russian-controlled constellation would give Russia a satellite link of its own for drone control. These are assessments from Ukrainian officials and have not been independently demonstrated. Rassvet is not yet operational.

Meanwhile, Russia is jamming the network Ukraine does have

The sanctions push comes as Ukraine's own satellite links face electronic attack. A senior representative of Ukraine's Directorate of Electronic and Cyber Warfare told Janes on Sept. 21 that Russia has used the Volna Kupol Garant electronic warfare system to jam Starlink terminals since 2025. Russian state news agency Tass announced on Aug. 28 that the system had entered mass production.

The Ukrainian official described Volna Kupol Garant as a stationary system with at least eight antennas. According to the official, it has an effective coverage area of 20 km², with a core radius of 3–4 km in which it suppresses satellite receiver signals. The official said the 20 km² area is "a customer area" supported by one satellite. Janes reports the system is used from undisclosed areas of occupied Ukraine, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea.

Ukraine uses Starlink for guidance, reconnaissance and strike missions, Janes reports. The demand for broader coverage is political as well as operational: Finnish President Alexander Stubb urged Elon Musk on Sept. 24 to expand Starlink coverage for Ukraine so it can strike ballistic missile launchers inside Russia, Janes reports. The Ukrainian official also told Janes that Russia has no Starlink access over its own territory and Ukraine has none either.

Why It Matters

Satellite connectivity has become infrastructure for drone warfare. It is how operators keep links alive past the radio horizon, push video back from reconnaissance flights and guide strike aircraft. Starlink has played a critical role in Ukrainian military communications throughout the full-scale war, AP notes, and Russian terminals have been blocked since February. Rassvet is described as Moscow's domestic alternative, and AP says a full constellation could eventually have military applications including battlefield communications and drone control.

The Oct. 18 deadline under the Graham act gives Washington a decision point. Sanctioning component suppliers will not take down satellites already in orbit. Ukraine's bet is that targeting suppliers could slow a buildout that, by Russia's own plan, needs hundreds more spacecraft before it reaches the scale Ukrainian officials fear. Whether sanctions would have that effect is unproven.

Two things are worth watching: whether the administration's target list includes Bureau 1440's component suppliers, and whether Russia meets its 2027 service target after the strike on the Progress plant.

Sources