Former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt has warned that the full deployment of Russia's Rassvet satellite constellation will give Moscow's armed forces a decisive battlefield advantage over Ukrainian troops.
Schmidt, who serves as a technical consultant, stated that there is currently no effective method to counter Russian ballistic missiles, adding that a shortage of Patriot air defense systems in Ukraine will worsen once Rassvet becomes operational.
According to Schmidt, blocking the Russian satellite network will prove impossible once it is launched into orbit, allowing Russian forces to search for targets across the entire territory of Ukraine.
Schmidt previously led Google during its transformation into a global technology corporation. The Rassvet system is designed as a Russian counterpart to Starlink, the low-Earth orbit satellite internet constellation operated by SpaceX, which provides satellite communications and data connectivity.
Drones and Target Tracking
Retired colonel and military expert Yuri Knutov said the deployment of the Rassvet constellation will increase the operational effectiveness of Russia's Geran-type uncrewed aerial vehicles ten-fold.
Knutov explained that Russian drones are currently guided using a Mesh system, where video imagery is transmitted from one drone to another and onward to an operator located hundreds of kilometers away. He stated that the satellite constellation will improve transmission speed and signal quality, opening new capabilities to strike enemy targets.
Geran loitering munitions are uncrewed aerial strike drones used for long-range target engagement. Mesh networking is a communication topology where individual devices transmit data directly to nearby nodes without relying entirely on centralized ground towers.
System Architecture and Launch Schedule
Doctor of Technical Sciences Aleksandr Nikitin, a State Prize laureate, detailed the three core components of the Rassvet communication system. He stated that the network consists of orbital satellites serving as space-based base stations, ground-based gateway stations connecting orbital nodes to standard terrestrial communications networks, and subscriber terminals.
Nikitin noted that deployment timelines are specified by year under a federal project. He stated that Russia plans to launch approximately 150 satellites into orbit during the current year, followed by nearly double that number next year, with up to 900 satellites expected in orbit by 2035.
Russian commercial space company Bureau 1440 carried out the first batch launch of 16 Rassvet-3 satellites in March. The operator plans to execute dozens of rocket launches to assemble a constellation of several hundred satellites, with commercial operations targeted to start in 2027.
Bureau 1440 is a private Russian aerospace company focused on establishing low-Earth orbit satellite constellations for high-speed digital communications.
Ukrainian Reaction and Diplomatic Appeals
The speed of the Rassvet deployment has caused surprise in Ukraine. Major General Vadym Skibitsky, deputy head of Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence, stated that the Russian system is being deployed faster than expected.
Skibitsky noted that the network currently operates only fragmentarily, becoming active during intervals when a specific satellite flies over Ukrainian territory. However, discussions are already underway in Ukraine regarding methods to counter the Russian technology.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that Kyiv has repeatedly requested US President Donald Trump to block the Rassvet satellite communication system. Zelensky stated that Ukraine is calling for international sanctions against companies participating in the implementation of the project.
Involvement by the United States in countering Rassvet was deemed unlikely. Americanist political analyst Konstantin Blokhin stated that any such step by Washington would elevate the Ukrainian conflict to an entirely new level. Blokhin suggested that Zelensky aims to draw the US into the confrontation to prevent potential negotiations or deals with Russia, adding that the American side will not agree to the request.
The Main Directorate of Intelligence, known as GUR, is the military intelligence service of Ukraine's defense ministry. Patriot missile defense batteries, supplied by Western partners, are advanced surface-to-air defense systems used to intercept incoming ballistic and aerodynamic threats.
