President Volodymyr Zelensky signed decrees on Oct. 30 imposing sanctions on 10 companies and 19 Russian citizens involved in developing the Rassvet satellite system, as well as 39 vessels in Russia’s shadow fleet, according to a statement on the Presidential Office’s website.
Since February, Russian Starlink terminals have been blocked, with only verified devices allowed to connect. The Rassvet low-Earth orbit satellite network could provide Russian forces with their own satellite communications link, enabling them to control drones and missiles over long distances.
The Rassvet system could pose a threat to the entire world, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the presidential commissioner for sanctions policy, said.
“The (Rassvet) project depends on foreign technologies, equipment, and components, so we are targeting these supply chains at the development stage and calling on our partners to coordinate sanctions,” Vlasiuk added.
Among the sanctioned entities are Bureau 1440, the developer, coordinator, and system integrator of the Rassvet system, and two affiliated companies: Labs 1440, which manufactures solar panels for spacecraft, and FAB Rassvet, which develops low-Earth orbit communications satellites, the Presidential Office said.
The sanctions also targeted Belarusian company Aerospace Instruments, which develops components for aerospace systems, the office added.
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) said on Oct. 28 that 49 Russian and Belarusian companies were involved in developing Russia’s Rassvet low-Earth orbit satellite communications system.
Besides the satellite system-related entities, the sanctions target 39 vessels belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet. The vessels sail under the flags of Russia, Barbados, Liberia, the Marshall Islands, Panama, Hong Kong, Djibouti, the Bahamas, Equatorial Guinea, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Palau, and Sierra Leone, the Presidential Office said.
The vessels transport Russian oil, petroleum products, and gas condensate to China, India, Egypt, Turkey, and other countries, the office said.
One tanker, the Vasily Dinkov, made 15 voyages carrying approximately 726,000 tons of Russian crude oil in the first half of 2026 alone. Some of the vessels are already under sanctions imposed by the EU, U.K., U.S., Canada, Switzerland, and Australia, the statement read.
Russia’s shadow fleet consists of aging, poorly insured tankers used to transport Russian oil in violation of international sanctions. Western governments have also accused Moscow of using the fleet to support its hybrid war against Europe.
