Ukraine’s Defence intelligence names three Belarusian entities among 49 participants in Russia’s Rassvet satellite system

The Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) of Ukraine's Ministry of Defence on 28 October made public a list of 49 Russian and Belarusian enterprises and institutions that, according to its data, are taking part in creating the low-Earth-orbit satellite communications system Rassvet. It is a Russian analogue of Starlink. The list was published on the War&Sanctions portal.

Among the participants, HUR named three Belarusian entities: the closed joint-stock company Aerospace Devices, the republican unitary production enterprise Precision Electromechanics Plant, and its branch Belintersat. According to the intelligence service, Aerospace Devices is engaged in prototyping components for Rassvet.

In May 2026, Belintersat signed a strategic partnership agreement with the limited liability company Bureau 1440. It provides for integrating Rassvet into Belarus's telecommunications infrastructure. The intelligence service also says that such integration is part of the project's plans.

HUR of Ukraine's Ministry of Defence has been designated an extremist formation in Belarus. The agency published the data on the 49 enterprises in its own source; it cannot be independently verified from the available materials.

According to these data, the project involves structures of Roscosmos and Russia's Ministry of Defence, IT companies, microelectronics manufacturers and research centres. The Russian company Bureau 1440, part of the IT conglomerate IKS Holding, is named as the main contractor. The holding's enterprises produce components, solar panels, subscriber equipment, printed circuit boards and electronic modules.

The project is presented as a low-orbit constellation capable of transmitting data where there is no ground infrastructure. The system includes satellites, ground control, gateway stations and subscriber terminals for fixed and mobile objects.

According to Ukrainian outlets, Russia is building the system as an alternative to Starlink, including for military needs. In March 2026, Bureau 1440 carried out the first mass launch: 16 satellites of the Rassvet constellation. In June 2026, Russia announced the creation of its own satellite communications complex that is meant to replace the American Starlink.

According to HUR data cited by Ukrainian outlets, 23 of the 49 organisations, including Roscosmos, are not under sanctions from any country of the sanctions coalition.

According to pro-Russian outlets, in 2027 Rassvet will begin operating at full strength and become "threat number one" for Ukraine's "proxy army" and NATO troops.