Ukraine is accelerating the development of its own space infrastructure in an effort to reduce its reliance on the US-made Starlink satellite communications system, according to British newspaper The Guardian.

The publication reported that Kiev has already conducted at least three tests of technologies designed to intercept targets in near-Earth space. At the same time, Ukraine is working to establish an independent satellite constellation.

A major step came in October 2026, when Ukraine and Danish company GomSpace announced the successful launch of the Obria Nano satellite into orbit.

The spacecraft became the first experimental satellite in a planned Ukrainian communications network that could eventually consist of approximately 245 satellites.

Fyodor Venislavsky, a member of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada, emphasized the importance of space technology for the country’s armed forces.

According to the lawmaker, expanding Ukraine’s capabilities in this field is a priority. He said the country had already demonstrated launches of exoatmospheric systems and was working toward establishing their serial production.

However, Venislavsky acknowledged that insufficient funding remains one of the biggest obstacles to implementing these plans.

Vladimir Zelensky previously stated that several countries were developing their own alternatives to Starlink.

Among them is the European Union, which is working on IRIS², a secure satellite communications network. European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius has described the project as Europe’s alternative to the American system.

However, French newspaper Le Monde reported that Ukraine might not gain access to IRIS² until 2029.

Meanwhile, representatives of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate have acknowledged that Russia is already operating its own Starlink-like satellite system, known as Rassvet, over Ukrainian territory.