Ukraine Calls on the EU to Impose Sanctions on Russia’s Starlink Counterpart—the Rassvet Project

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, speaking at a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Ireland, called for sanctions against Russia’s Rassvet satellite project.

Militarnyi’s sources reported this.

The Gymnich-format diplomatic event served as a platform to present Ukraine’s key priorities: increasing pressure on the military economy and weakening the Russian Federation’s defense capabilities.

According to sources, Ukraine has already provided its partners with a specific list of proposed sanctions: it includes nine legal entities involved in the Rassvet project, two companies that manufacture Iskander missiles, five companies that produce fuel and components, and 14 individuals.

The Rassvet program, led by the Russian aerospace company Bureau 1440 (part of IKS Holding), is the Kremlin’s attempt to create its own counterpart to the Starlink system for providing broadband internet services.

The Russian system is being developed as a satellite constellation in low Earth orbit to provide high-speed communications, which has direct military significance for the command and control of troops and drones.

The project began developing several years ago: in 2023, the first three experimental satellites of the Rassvet-1 mission were launched into orbit, and in spring 2024, Rassvet-2 prototypes equipped with laser terminals for intersatellite communication were launched.

In March 2026, the company launched its first production constellation of 16 satellites.

In July, Russia launched a second group of satellites for its Starlink counterpart, but the project is facing delays in placing the satellites into their intended orbits.

According to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Russia plans to launch 292 communications satellites into orbit by the end of 2027.

Read more on the structure and vulnerabilities of the Russian Rassvet project in Militarnyi’s article on this topic.

In addition to restrictions on the satellite program, Andriy Sybiha emphasized the importance of neutralizing the Russian shadow fleet and introducing visa restrictions for Russian citizens to counter sabotage activities in Europe.