Ukraine warns Russia's Rassvet satellite network threatens Europe within months

Ukraine's presidential advisor on defense technologies, Serhiy Beskrestnov, has warned that Russia's new satellite network "Rassvet" poses a critical threat to Ukraine and Europe, potentially enabling real-time control of drones and cheap missiles within about six months. The network could provide continuous satellite communication over all of Ukraine, allowing Russian operators to directly guide Shahed drones and other weapons, rendering Ukraine's electronic warfare systems ineffective. Beskrestnov says Ukraine is developing countermeasures, but faces a harder task than Russia had with Starlink. Other experts predict a longer timeline, with analyst Jakub Janovsky estimating continuous coverage may not appear until 2028-2030 due to delays and challenges in producing user terminals. The cost, size, and power consumption of equipment could also complicate mass deployment on drones.