Ukraine urges US to sanction entities supporting Russia's Starlink rival

Ukraine is urging the United States to impose sanctions on several Russian entities that it says are helping develop Moscow's Rassvet satellite network as a domestic alternative to SpaceX's Starlink, its acting ambassador said on Wednesday.



Denys Sienik, deputy chief of mission at the Ukrainian embassy in Washington, told reporters Russia was rapidly expanding the Rassvet satellite network, saying its goal to start operations in 2027 would pose grave risks to Ukraine.



"If these entities are not sanctioned, it will actually make this program possible for Russia and that will be a game-changer," Sienik said. He also stressed Ukraine's urgent need for some 300 additional Patriot interceptors by winter, saying that Russia was producing more than 100 ballistic missiles per month.

The US Treasury Department had no immediate comment on Ukraine's push for new sanctions.



Russia plans to start operating Rassvet, a smaller version of Elon Musk's Starlink system, in 2027, Alexei Shelobkov, CEO of Iks Holding, the company developing the service, said in June. The company launched its first 16 low-orbit satellites in March and plans to reach 900 over several years.