Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and a former Russian president, said on Sunday that any attempt to block Moscow’s new Rassvet satellite network would amount to destroying it, according to Yeni Şafak English. In the same remarks, posted on Telegram and reported on 4 October, he said such a move could put low-orbit Starlink satellites at risk, Voennoe Delo reports.
Key facts
- Medvedev’s statement was made on Telegram, both outlets report. Yeni Şafak English dates it to Sunday; Voennoe Delo published its account on 4 October.
- He said blocking Rassvet would effectively mean destroying it, according to both reports.
- Yeni Şafak English renders the consequence he described as “full-scale space warfare”; Voennoe Delo words it as a full-scale conflict in space.
- Yeni Şafak English reports he threatened that Western satellites could face retaliation if the project is obstructed at Ukraine’s request.
- Voennoe Delo reports he argued that low-orbit Starlink satellites would be vulnerable in such a conflict.
- Bloomberg has described Rassvet as a Russian alternative to Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starlink system, Voennoe Delo notes.
Why it matters
Starlink is SpaceX’s low-Earth-orbit broadband network, the same constellation that sells consumer and business satellite internet service in markets across Africa and the rest of the world. The Medvedev remarks, as reported, move the Rassvet dispute from a question about Russian military communications to one in which that commercial constellation is named directly as exposed.
Neither source reports that anything has actually been done to either network. What the two reports describe is a verbal warning and the conditions attached to it.
What Medvedev said
Voennoe Delo reports that Medvedev was responding to calls from Ukrainian officials for the United States to interfere with the operation of the Russian satellite system, and that he said he hoped Washington understood the possible consequences. Ukraine has asked Washington to sanction Rassvet, and Kyiv has tied its case to an October 18 sanctions deadline.
On the American side of the equation, Yeni Şafak English quotes him as saying: “The Americans, I hope, realize this. After all, their low-orbit Starlink satellites would come tumbling down like ornaments from a dried-up Christmas tree.”
Both outlets also report a more general line from the same message: that space is a very crowded, tightly shared environment and that countries need to show one another restraint, or in Yeni Şafak English’s rendering, mutual courtesy.
Rassvet and Starlink: the orbital difference
Voennoe Delo gives the one technical comparison in either report. Rassvet satellites operate at an altitude of about 800 kilometres, the outlet says, while Starlink spacecraft are positioned at roughly 550 kilometres and below.
According to the same report, the higher orbit allows each Rassvet satellite to cover more users and reduces the number of spacecraft needed for global coverage. Neither source explains what that altitude difference would mean for the vulnerability Medvedev described, and neither gives a count of satellites already in orbit for Rassvet.
Background: why Kyiv is pressing the issue
Yeni Şafak English reports Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying: “We know that China works on satellites, works on the possibility of helping Russia with a similar Starlink.” The outlet reports that he warned the capability could enhance the precision of Russian airstrikes, and that Moscow has intensified its aerial campaign against Ukraine as the conflict entered its fifth year.
Kyiv’s concern about Russian satellite capability runs alongside Kyiv’s own plans for a Starlink analogue. Voennoe Delo adds that in August, Ukrainian presidential technology adviser Sergey Beskrestnov said the emergence of the Russian system could become a problem for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
What is not established
The two reports do not say whether the United States has considered, agreed to or rejected any interference with Rassvet. They do not describe any capability, timetable or mechanism by which either side could act against the other’s satellites, and they carry no comment from SpaceX, Starlink or any US official.
There is also nothing in either source about effects on Starlink service, pricing or availability for customers anywhere, including in Africa. On the evidence of these two reports, this is a statement of intent and nothing more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Rassvet’s higher orbit matter?
Voennoe Delo reports that Rassvet satellites fly at roughly 800 kilometres while Starlink spacecraft sit at about 550 kilometres and below. According to the same report, the higher orbit lets each satellite cover more users and cuts the number of spacecraft needed for global coverage.
Who in Ukraine first flagged Rassvet as a problem?
Voennoe Delo reports that in August, Ukrainian presidential technology adviser Sergey Beskrestnov said the emergence of the system could become a problem for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The outlet does not give further detail on what he based that assessment on.
Do the reports say when Rassvet will be available, or what it costs?
No. Neither Voennoe Delo nor Yeni Şafak English gives a launch schedule, satellite count, user numbers, pricing or coverage map for Rassvet. The only characterisation of the system in the reports is Bloomberg’s description, cited by Voennoe Delo, of Rassvet as a Russian alternative to SpaceX’s Starlink.
Have SpaceX or the US government responded to Medvedev?
Neither source reports any response from SpaceX, Starlink or the US government. Voennoe Delo says only that Medvedev expressed a hope that Washington understood the possible consequences of interfering with the Russian system.
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