US and Ukraine fear Russia's Rassvet space weapon

The United States and the leadership of Ukraine find themselves in a state of panic before the rapid deployment of the Russian low-orbit satellite system «Rassvet».
This system is considered by Western experts to be the Russian equivalent of Starlink, which, however, possesses superior technical specifications, making one «Rassvet» satellite equivalent to ten of Elon Musk's.
Its full operation will grant the Russian side the ability to manage drones, missiles, and soldiers in absolute real time across the entirety of Ukraine.
For this reason, American senators are pushing for sanctions and measures, yet the options are nonexistent.
Any attempt at physical destruction or interference with the satellites is technically impossible for Ukraine or would cause a global space catastrophe (destroying Starlink itself as well), while direct American military involvement would signify a catastrophic war.

The US dreads the Russian weapon that is a... «game changer»: The plan to deprive Moscow of the ultimate weapon in Ukrainian skies

The case involving the bill bearing the signature of Lindsey Graham, which obligates Donald Trump to activate a sweeping package of anti-Russian sanctions, is not only advancing at a rapid pace, but is now taking on an extraordinarily dramatic dimension.
According to the provisions of the law, the government of the United States is required to publish the first list of sanctions.
If there are exceptions, the American president will have to either prove that they serve the national interests of the US or impose them at personal political cost, with the White House's room for maneuver narrowing dangerously.
In this tense climate, two American senators, Democrat Jeanne Shaheen of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Republican Roger Wicker, head of the Armed Services Committee, sent a joint letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, demanding an immediate halt to war funding and the tackling of the Russian «shadow fleet», while simultaneously setting as an urgent priority «to stop the operation of the Russian satellite system under development, which threatens to trigger destructive strikes in Ukraine in real time as early as this winter».

The «Rassvet» network: The Russian nightmare terrifying the West

The program referred to by American lawmakers concerns the low Earth orbit satellite system «Rassvet», which in the West is persistently dubbed the Russian equivalent of the Starlink system.
Today, around 30 satellites are already in orbit, while official plans foresee the launch of 156 devices by the end of 2026, 300 by the end of 2027, 600 by the end of 2028, and 900 by 2035.
Why, however, are American planners so alarmed?
According to Western experts, even the partial deployment of such a network will be the ultimate game changer.
Thanks to broadband high-speed connectivity, the Russian military will gain the ability to effectively direct, in real time, drones, missiles, and frontline infantry units down to the level of the individual soldier across the entire Ukrainian territory.
Even now, the existence of limited attack windows of «full visibility» during the 24-hour cycle drives Moscow's adversaries into a state of hysteria.

The Washington Post notes that Moscow began placing satellites into orbit «earlier than expected».

Former head of Google, Eric Schmidt, admitted in an interview with The Economist that «it is practically impossible to jam this system» and that «the Russians will be able to launch even more precise strikes anywhere in Ukraine».
A corresponding warning was issued by EU Observer, emphasizing that the consequences for the armed forces of Ukraine will be enormous if effective countermeasures are not developed. An adviser to Volodymyr Zelensky even described the situation not merely as a problem, but as a «minor catastrophe».

Technological superiority and the inability of the US to respond

Despite attempts by Western and Ukrainian circles to downplay the development, arguing that the satellites are very few, experts disagree categorically.
The special report by the platform The Stratos Brief points out that «Rassvet» has ceased to be merely a «demonstration project» and has evolved into a strategically critical communications branch.
Russian experts emphasize that the number of satellites matters less than their capabilities: one satellite of «Rassvet» is equivalent to ten of Elon Musk's Starlink, thanks to its specialized construction, high resistance to electronic jamming, and superior orbit.
This same reality was also implied by Russian President Vladimir Putin during his meeting with fighters of the special military operation on June 12, noting that the Russian satellite grouping is in no way inferior to Starlink, and in certain areas surpasses it.

Ukraine: Impose sanctions

As a result, in late September, Kyiv made an urgent request to Washington for the imposition of sanctions against the developers and suppliers of «Rassvet», leading the senators to draft the relevant letter.
However, the West's options are nonexistent...

- They cannot stop the development of the Russian space program, no matter how many economic sanctions they impose
- The necessary technical capabilities from the territory of Ukraine for electronic jamming do not exist
- Shooting down the satellites is technically extremely difficult, while even if successful, space debris would completely destroy the American Starlink network itself and beyond.
- However, this would mean a direct act of war, with the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, warning that American satellites «will fall to the ground like Christmas tree ornaments».
Faced with this impasse, the Ukrainian leadership resorted to the only «solution» remaining to it: it filed an official complaint with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), requesting to «exclude Ukrainian territory from the service zones of the Russian 'Rassvet' system across all frequency bands».
A pointless move, which achieves nothing other than capturing Kyiv's absolute despair in the face of the inevitable.

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