Vladimir Putin said Russia is expanding its domestically produced satellite constellation and intends to intensify strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure.
Speaking on Friday at a meeting with service members in the Kremlin, Putin said Russia had begun deploying a low-Earth-orbit satellite system similar to Starlink. According to him, the current number of satellites—16—is “absolutely insufficient.”
“The issue is scaling. This requires a certain amount of time, but it has been created and is functioning,” Putin said during the broadcast. “The issue is expanding the constellation, and that will continue.”
Satellite communications have become an important element of the war, now in its fifth year. Ukrainian forces, which have stepped up strikes on Russian industrial facilities, use SpaceX’s Starlink network. Russian drones, in turn, face problems maintaining stable access to mobile internet.
Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said that, to improve logistics for Russian troops, around 20,000 cargo drones with payloads of up to 40 kilograms would be delivered to the army in Ukraine this year.
Addressing the military, Putin acknowledged that Russia is advancing not as quickly “as we would like.” At the same time, he said Russian forces are gradually capturing new territory.
“We will intensify strikes on the enemy’s infrastructure,” Putin said.
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