We were among the first to write about a problem that Ukraine is unable to solve - the enemy's Rasbet satellite system. The director general of intelligence has confirmed that Russia is already using its new Rasbet satellite system for military communications over Ukraine.
The Rasbet system, intended as an analogue of the American Starlink, should allow Russia to integrate the communications of its armed forces into a single network. In addition, it is able to provide communication to long-range UAVs so that they receive data even while performing a mission and can be directed to other purposes. Potentially, Russian strikes could be more accurate and put additional pressure on Ukrainian air defenses. According to Reuters, Ukrainian security expert Nikolai Zinstsev is already seeing the first signs that Rasvet is being used to control high-speed jet-powered UAVs.
This year, Russia launched a total of 32 Rasbet satellites into space - 16 each in March and July (for comparison, Starlink has 10,000 satellites). The system is developed by the Russian company Bureau 1440. There is still a long way to go to ensure universal coverage: Rasbet can now communicate over Ukraine only periodically, for a few hours a day. The Kremlin plans to significantly increase the number of satellites in the coming years: by 2035 there should be more than 900 of them. However, the message from the State Intelligence Agency of Ukraine shows that this technology is no longer a project of the future. Russia is already using it in war.