Russia will soon have its own version of Starlink | The Economist

Russia is. developing its equivalent. of Starlink. It’s nascent, it's launched a few dozen satellites. It's not working properly yet. But we kept hearing again and again. that within a few months, probably up to a year, they will have a functioning. equivalent of Starlink. That will be a game-changer. for the negative for Ukraine, because it will mean that. the Russians. will basically be able. to have complete ability to locate. and hit. anything over Ukraine. in the same way that Starlink gives.

the Ukrainians that capacity. On the other side. if the Ukrainians could use Starlink. over Russian territory to hit missile. launchers, they could hit the archer. not the arrow. But unfortunately. Elon Musk refuses to allow that. So one question is whether. political pressure. or any pressure can be put upon Musk. and Starlink to enable that use. I think there is a. reasonably strong argument. which is that. Russia is hitting civilians, using ballistic missiles,

in a very evident. and increasing way. a serious terror tactic. And there's this rather. unpleasant vernacular. doing the rounds of. called “safari tactics”, where Russians have been using. FPV drones close to the front line, particularly cities. close to the front line. and showing images of these things. going after a civilian in a saloon car. and so forth. And it comes back to. what we were saying. earlier about friction, that kind of terror. Who is going to. leave their child in a city. if there are FPV drones. employing safari tactics. on the streets of the capital.