Zelensky says Ukraine is developing its own Starlink-like satellite system
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on 4 October that Ukraine is working on its own satellite system similar to Starlink, and argued it would be fair to allow Ukraine to use Starlink for strikes against Russia. He also claimed that some states will share relevant satellite technologies with Russia later this year or early next, citing China as one such country, and said Ukraine had appealed to US President Donald Trump to sanction Russian and Chinese companies linked to a satellite network called Rassvet.
Key points
- On 4 October, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is developing its own satellite system similar to Starlink.
- Zelensky said it would be "fair" to allow Ukraine to use Starlink for strikes against Russia.
- He claimed some states will share relevant satellite technologies with Russia at the end of this year or the beginning of next year, pointing to China as an example.
- Zelensky said Ukraine had signalled the need for the continuation of its existing satellite program because of those planned technology transfers.
- Earlier, Zelensky said he had appealed to US President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Russian and Chinese companies he linked to a satellite network called "Rassвет" (Rassvet), described as a potential Starlink competitor.
Why it matters
Zelensky framed the development of a domestic satellite system and the question of using Starlink for strikes as matters of Ukrainian sovereignty over the communications infrastructure on which the war effort depends.
What happened
On 4 October, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is working on its own satellite system modelled on Starlink, with "developments" already under way. He argued that it would be fair to permit Ukraine to use Starlink for strikes against Russia. Zelensky also said that some states would share relevant satellite technologies with Russia at the end of this year or the beginning of next, naming China as one, and said Ukraine had made clear the need to continue its existing program for that reason. Separately, he said he had asked US President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Russian and Chinese companies he linked to a satellite network called "Рассвет" (Rassvet), which he described as a potential competitor to Starlink.
Background
Zelensky separately said he had asked US President Donald Trump to sanction Russian and Chinese companies he linked to a satellite network called "Рассвет" (Rassvet), described as a potential competitor to Starlink.