Flash Warned of a Threat to Russia's "Rassvet" Satellite System — Associated Press

The Russian “Rassvet” satellite system could significantly expand the capabilities for controlling strike assets. According to expert Serhiy Flesh, satellite communications will enable Russian operators to directly control drones and missiles, which could pose serious threats.

 

“In my view, this is the number one threat among all the technological challenges Russia is posing to us right now—not only to Ukraine, but to all of Europe,” he said.

He noted that Russia is already gaining the ability to control “Shahed”-type drones, reconnaissance drones, and even low-cost missiles such as the “Banderol” and “Dan-M” via satellite in real time.

“This will be a real disaster for everyone,” he said.

It is noted that satellite communications will allow Russian operators to directly control drones and missiles, rendering useless the network of electronic warfare (EW) systems deployed by Ukraine throughout the country to counter such targets.

“They will be able to strike anywhere in the country in real time—and with high precision,” explained Beskrestnov.

He noted that there are already periods when Russian satellites are positioned over Ukrainian territory, providing communication for 30–40 minutes. According to his estimates, full coverage could be achieved in a relatively short time—approximately half a year.

Beskrestnov added that Ukraine is working on countermeasures, including the imposition of sanctions, but the task is extremely difficult. Russian engineers had access to a functioning Starlink system on which they could test countermeasures, whereas Ukraine has to develop defenses against a system that has not even begun to operate at full capacity yet. He added:

“We need to act. By the time Russia begins using this network to attack our infrastructure and us directly, we must already have the appropriate defenses in place—produced in sufficient quantities and deployed at our positions.”

Source: Associated Press

Earlier, Flash explained why Russia is collecting video footage of Geran drone strikes.

Russian jet-powered drones have reached ranges of up to 880 km—Flash warned of a new threat.

The U.S. is sharing data with Ukraine on Russian ballistic missile launches — Flash