Medvedev warns US against blocking Russia's Rassvet satellite system
In short
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council and chairman of United Russia, warned the United States on 4 October not to block Russia's “Rassvet” low-Earth-orbit satellite communications system at Ukraine's request. He said such a move “would lead to a full-scale space war” and that US low-orbit Starlink satellites “will fall one after another”. The warning follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's statements to the Financial Times that he has repeatedly asked US President Donald Trump to block Rassvet and sanction companies involved in the project.
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Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council and chairman of the United Russia party, warned the United States on 4 October not to block Russia's “Rassvet” low-Earth-orbit satellite communications system at Ukraine's request, according to the Chinese financial outlets Yicai and CLS and the official China News Service. Writing on his personal social media account, Medvedev said: “This will lead to a full-scale space war. US low-orbit Starlink satellites will fall one after another.” [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
The warning follows remarks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview with the UK's Financial Times, in which he said he had repeatedly asked US President Donald Trump to block Rassvet and to sanction companies involved in the project, the documents said. Yicai, citing CCTV News, and China News Service, citing Russian media, reported the same sequence. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Yicai and Jiemian reported that Starlink use is banned inside Russia, and that President Vladimir Putin said in June that Russia had begun deploying a low-orbit satellite system similar to Starlink. [ 1 , 3 ]
Jiemian added, citing US reports, that on 31 July Zelensky asked Trump and other US officials during a visit to the United States to persuade SpaceX founder Elon Musk to allow Ukrainian forces to use Starlink to strike ballistic missile launcher sites inside Russia, and that US reports in August said Musk refused the request. [ 3 ]
The documents do not say whether Washington has responded to Medvedev's warning, or which US officials it was aimed at, and they give no detail on the Rassvet system's current deployment beyond Putin's June statement. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The exchange puts a satellite communications system, and the satellites of the other side, on the agenda of the Russia–US dispute over Ukraine, rather than only ground weapons. It also shows Ukraine pressing Washington to act against a Russian system that Moscow says it has begun deploying, while Russia answers with an explicit threat against US orbital assets.
Key facts
- On 4 October, Russian Security Council deputy chairman and United Russia chairman Dmitry Medvedev warned the United States on his personal social media account not to block Russia's “Rassvet” low-Earth-orbit satellite communications system at Ukraine's request. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Medvedev said the move “would lead to a full-scale space war” and that US low-orbit Starlink satellites “will fall one after another”. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the UK's Financial Times that he had repeatedly asked US President Donald Trump to block the Rassvet system and to sanction companies involved in the project. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Starlink use is banned inside Russia. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Russian President Vladimir Putin said in June that Russia had begun deploying a low-orbit satellite system similar to Starlink. [ 1 , 3 ]
- A US report on 31 July said Zelensky, during a visit to the United States, asked Trump and other US officials to persuade SpaceX founder Elon Musk to let Ukrainian forces use Starlink to strike ballistic missile launcher sites inside Russia; a US report in August said Musk refused. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Medvedev warned the United States not to block the Russian “Rassvet” low-orbit satellite communications system, in a post on his personal social media account on 4 October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Medvedev said blocking the system would lead to a full-scale space war and that US low-orbit Starlink satellites would fall one after another. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Zelensky said in a Financial Times interview that he had repeatedly asked US President Donald Trump to block Rassvet and sanction companies involved in the project. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Use of Starlink is prohibited inside Russia. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Putin said in June that Russia had started deploying a Starlink-like low-orbit satellite system. [ 1 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the United States has responded to Medvedev's warning, and which US officials or agencies the warning was addressed to. None of the documents report any US response or name a recipient of the warning.
- The current deployment status, size or capabilities of the “Rassvet” system. The documents say only that Putin stated in June that deployment had begun, without figures or current status.
- Which companies could be targeted by the sanctions Zelensky requested. The documents refer to “companies involved in the project” without naming any.
- Details of the reported Zelensky request to Musk, including the date of the August US report. Only one document reports this, citing unnamed US reports, and it gives no exact date for the August report.