Ukraine has officially asked the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to remove Ukraine’s territory from the service areas declared for Russia’s Rassvet satellite internet network; a move carried out alongside Moscow’s rapid development of this satellite system.

However, the ITU cannot prevent Rassvet satellites from passing over Ukraine, or prevent physical access to its signals in areas under the control of Russian forces.

Russia’s indigenous and developing alternative to Starlink could be used for drones and field communications on the battlefield, with the expansion of coverage of this network by 2027.