Russia should not assume that Donald Trump’s public reluctance to allow Ukraine to use Starlink for strikes deep inside Russia means the issue has been settled, military analyst Mikhail Khodarenok has argued. He suggested that private negotiations with Elon Musk may have taken place and that the situation could change later.
According to Khodarenok, there have been requests to expand Starlink coverage beyond Russia’s new territories so that Ukrainian forces could use the system for strikes deep inside the country.
He compared the situation to what he called the «German scenario." Berlin initially limited its support for Ukraine to tents, medical equipment and other non-lethal supplies before eventually providing modern artillery systems and Leopard tanks.
Khodarenok therefore suggested that an apparently inconclusive public discussion over Starlink could still be followed by a decision to expand its capabilities at a later date.
Against this backdrop, he called for Russia to accelerate the development of the Rassvet satellite constellation, which he described as a Russian counterpart to Elon Musk’s Starlink.
Khodarenok also advocated strengthening Russia’s capabilities against the orbital constellations of potential adversaries. These measures could include advanced electronic warfare systems capable of disrupting satellite operations, as well as the development of space-based satellite interceptors.
He argued that without the ability to destroy an adversary’s spacecraft, Russia would be unable to make sufficient progress in countering hostile satellite systems.