Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said any attempt to «block» the Russian Rassvet satellite constellation would effectively mean destroying it and could trigger a full-scale conflict in space.

He made the remarks in response to calls from Ukrainian officials for the United States to interfere with the operation of the Russian satellite system. Medvedev said he hoped Washington understood the possible consequences of such a move.

According to him, Starlink infrastructure could also come under threat if a conflict in space began. He argued that low-orbit Starlink satellites would be vulnerable and stressed that space is a tightly shared environment where countries need to act with mutual restraint.

Bloomberg had previously described Rassvet as a Russian alternative to Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starlink system. In August, Ukrainian presidential technology adviser Sergey Beskrestnov said the emergence of the system could become a problem for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Rassvet satellites operate at an altitude of about 800 kilometers, while Starlink spacecraft are positioned at roughly 550 kilometers and below. The higher orbit allows each satellite to cover more users and reduces the number of spacecraft needed for global coverage.