Kremlin threatens Elon Musk's Starlink with 'full-scale space war'

Russia has threatened a ‘full-scale space war’ over Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites.

Starlink consists of thousands of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites that provide internet services in more than 150 countries and territories worldwide.

As well as providing civilian internet services, Starlink has played a major role in the Russo-Ukrainian War, offering its service to replace networks degraded or destroyed in Ukraine during the conflict.

Last week, Ukraine urged the US to impose sanctions on a handful of companies it says are helping develop Moscow's Rassvet satellite network that will run as an alternative to Starlink.

Denys Sienik, deputy chief of mission at the Ukrainian embassy in Washington, said the system could pose grave risks to Ukraine.

"If they launch Rassvet by the end of 2026, they will be able ​to target to hit Ukrainian targets real time on our territory,” he said.

Dmitry Medvedev has threatened a ‘full-scale space war’ (Contributor/Getty Images)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also called on President Donald Trump to impose sanctions on Russian and Chinese firms involved in Rassvet.

“We know that China works on satellites, works on the possibility of helping Russia with a similar Starlink,” he said.

In response Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of the Kremlin’s Security Council, issued a furious statement, threatening an all-out ‘space war’.

He said any attempts ‘to block Russia’s Rassvet satellite constellation can only imply its destruction’.

He continued: “And that will lead to a full-scale space war.

“I hope the US understands this.

“Otherwise, their low-orbit Starlink satellites will then come dropping like decorations off a dried-out Christmas tree.

“Space is a very cramped place so it’s a must to be mutually polite.”

Russia is aiming to have Rassvet operational in 2027.

Officials have been fast-tracking efforts to launch Rassvet after Musk blocked Russian armed forces from using it.

In March Russian aerospace company Bureau 1440 sent up the first satellites for the network, followed by another batch in July.

Russia is building its own network to rival Starlink (Elif Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Bureau 1440 said in a statement at the time: “The spacecraft separated from the launch vehicle and contacted the flight control centre. After completion of checks and commissioning of the subsystems, the satellites will begin transition to the target orbit to provide communication services.”

It plans to have just shy of 300 satellites regularly passing over Eastern Europe by 2027, boosting that to more than 900 by 2035.

However, there have been reports that at least three of the satellites that have been launched have failed already.

By comparison, Starlink has more than 10,000 of its satellites in orbit.

Back in August the deputy chief of Ukraine's military intelligence, Major General Vadym Skibitskiy, warned that Russia was moving much faster than previously thought when it came to its new satellite network.

"They have begun launching it much faster than originally planned," he said.

Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Zelenskyy, said Russia was working ‘as fast as they can’ to get the network operational and once it’s working it will became a major problem for Ukraine.

"Russians will be able to attack our entire country using UAVs with online control via their satellites,” he said.