Russia's "Daybreak" Satellites Pose New Threat: Ukraine’s Countermeasures

On August 5, Defense Express reported that Russia’s 1440 Design Bureau has deployed the "Daybreak" series of satellites, providing military satellite internet for Russian forces. This development is compelling Ukraine to consider effective countermeasures.

The most straightforward approach would be directly destroying the satellites; although extremely difficult to implement, it remains technically feasible in theory.

Looking back at space history, on November 1, 1968, the Soviet Union successfully conducted humanity’s first satellite interception test. The "Cosmos-252" interceptor satellite destroyed its target, "Cosmos-248," using a fragmentation warhead. This interceptor weighed 2.4 tons, carried substantial orbital maneuvering fuel, and was equipped with a radar homing guidance system. It was launched into orbit by a "Vostok-2" carrier rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

The entire interception process involved calculating the target’s orbit, followed by the interceptor satellite adjusting its trajectory after one complete revolution around Earth to achieve lock-on. The entire system relied on a network of space surveillance radar stations: the OS-1 "Mishelyovka" site near Irkutsk and the OS-2 "Sary-Shagan" site within Kazakhstan. These sites were equipped with the 5N15 "Dnieper" and 5N86 "Dniester" radars—each station featuring four radars capable of constructing a radar detection network with a radius of 5,000 kilometers, covering orbital altitudes up to 3,000 kilometers.

The article explicitly states that Ukraine does not possess such a comprehensive infrastructure. Moreover, in recent decades, the number of low Earth orbit satellites has surged dramatically; recklessly destroying Russian satellites could easily trigger a chain reaction of space debris, leading to consequences that would be incalculable.

The core challenge of modern satellite internet systems lies not in relying on a few large satellites, but rather on massive satellite constellations. Russia has disclosed that at least 288 "Daybreak" satellites are currently operational, with a full planned constellation size reaching 730 satellites.

A More Practical Countermeasure: Electronic Warfare + Targeting Ground Stations

The article notes that compared to direct satellite destruction, specialized electronic warfare systems represent a more promising response path. Meanwhile, Ukraine has already shifted its focus toward destroying the ground-based infrastructure supporting this space system.

"Daybreak" Satellite Communication Windows

According to Vladimir Stepanych, a satellite communications expert, the "Daybreak" satellites operated by the 1440 Design Bureau pass over Ukraine two to three times daily, each passing offering a communication window lasting more than one hour.

As of July 31, 2026, the batch of satellites launched by the end of March 2026 has largely completed their orbital combat deployment: among the 16 launched satellites, 12 have reached the standard operational orbit at 550 kilometers altitude, 3 are gradually raising their orbits, and 1 is suspected to have burned up in orbit due to manufacturing defects.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872740692220936/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.