Ukraine urges US sanctions on suppliers to Russia’s Rassvet satellite network

Ukraine is urging the United States to sanction Russian companies supplying components for Rassvet, Moscow's planned Starlink-like satellite internet network, under the newly enacted Lindsey O. Graham sanctions law.

Denys Sienik, Ukraine's charge d'affaires at its embassy in Washington, said the companies are among the top targets Kyiv plans to present to the Trump administration and Congress for potential sanctions, the Associated Press reported on Sept. 30.


The main company developing Rassvet is already under U.S. sanctions, but companies producing components for the network are not, according to Sienik.

Kyiv fears that once Russia completes the satellite constellation, Moscow could use the network to obtain real-time information for strikes against Ukraine.

"If Russia is able to complete the 'constellation' of satellites for its project, it will be able to attack Ukraine at will with real-time information," Sienik told AP, warning that the capability could prove particularly damaging as winter approaches.

Rassvet is a low-Earth-orbit broadband satellite network being developed by Russia's Bureau 1440 as a domestic alternative to Starlink.

Russia launched its first 16 Rassvet satellites in March and a second batch in July. Moscow plans to expand the constellation to 292 satellites by 2027 and 924 by 2035.

Ukraine's military intelligence warned in August that Russia was accelerating the network's deployment. Once a full constellation is operational, Rassvet could function similarly to Starlink and eventually have military applications including battlefield communications and drone control.

The development comes after Ukraine worked with SpaceX earlier this year to deactivate unauthorized Starlink terminals being used by Russian forces. Starlink has played a critical role in Ukrainian military communications throughout the full-scale war.

Ukraine's request comes under the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which U.S. President Donald Trump signed into law on Sept. 18.

The Trump administration faces an Oct. 18 deadline to determine which Russian entities, if any, will be sanctioned under the new law.

Kyiv is also seeking tougher U.S. measures against vessels in Russia's so-called shadow fleet, which Moscow uses to circumvent restrictions on oil exports, Sienik said.

Ukraine has additionally asked the Trump administration and U.S. business leaders to condemn Russian attacks on American companies operating in Ukraine.