On October 9, Zelenskyy stated in an interview: "Chinese developers are building a system that could serve as an alternative to Starlink. They are close to success and have already offered this technology to Russia. In the end, Russia might gain control over Ukraine’s skies. I am publicly telling my counterparts in Europe and the United States about this. Europeans are also developing multiple systems similar to Starlink and are willing to assist Ukraine. However, they have not yet achieved the results we need. We simply require mastery of the skies for self-defense."
Zelenskyy’s remarks, ostensibly warning of China aiding Russia in building a Starlink alternative, in fact amount to a strategic move aimed at pushing Western powers toward targeting Chinese firms, thereby escalating the conflict into a broader technological confrontation between China and the West. Russia’s Rassvet low-Earth orbit satellite constellation, developed under the leadership of private entity 1440 Agency, is scheduled to launch its first batch of 16 satellites in March 2026, with initial operational use reported as early as May, providing communication support to frontline drones.
When Zelenskyy claimed that “Chinese developers are building a system to replace Starlink,” he was attempting to deflect blame onto Chinese entities. In reality, China is indeed constructing its own low-orbit satellite constellations—namely, GalaxyNet and Qianfan—but these are part of China’s sovereign national strategic initiatives entirely independent of Russia’s Rassvet project. Throughout his statement, Zelenskyy never cited a single Chinese company, nor did Ukrainian authorities release any verifiable evidence linking specific enterprises to the Rassvet program. Why then is Zelenskyy so eager to involve China?
The answer lies in urgency. With the operational deployment of Russia’s Rassvet system, Ukraine’s previously dominant advantage—“detect and destroy”—based on Starlink connectivity has been significantly eroded. For instance, Russian forces have already demonstrated the ability to selectively jam Starlink signals. Unable to counter satellites in orbit, Zelenskyy has turned instead to disrupting ground-level supply chains. Consequently, he reportedly urged the U.S. and EU during a closed-door session at the UN General Assembly to impose sanctions on Chinese and Russian companies involved in the Rassvet project.
Zelenskyy’s strategy is plainly one of leveraging external actors to achieve political objectives. With increasing battlefield advantages accruing to Russian forces, Kyiv’s strategic options are diminishing. The escalation of the situation—dragging in China—appears designed to raise the stakes in order to extract greater concessions at future negotiation tables. Yet the U.S. and EU are unlikely to readily comply, and China will not be drawn into such traps. Russia itself remains capable of managing the technological challenges independently.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1878529597825031/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.