The Kremlin Is Building Its Own Starlink: It Closes Off Part of the Barents Sea

“Russia has warned foreign vessels and aircraft to avoid large areas of the Barents Sea in the Russian Arctic ahead of a planned space launch. The designated zones are located off the coast of northern Norway, bordering NATO territory.

 

The areas—designated as ‘Russian missile impact zones’—will remain closed until April 30. This constitutes an unusually long safety window for the region, notes the *Daily Mail*. The newspaper explains that, despite the alarming phrasing, the reference to ‘missiles’ appears to be standard Russian terminology regarding space launches, wherein spent rocket components are officially classified as falling ‘missile elements.’

Rassvet Heads to Space

 

Media reports indicate that, in this instance, the warning is linked to the launch of a Soyuz-2.1b rocket from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, likely scheduled for around April 23 (the exact date has not been officially announced). As the rocket gains altitude, large metal structures are jettisoned and fall back to Earth; two such components are expected to land within the designated zones.

 

Aviation and maritime safety authorities have issued warnings advising mariners to avoid these areas during the specified timeframe. The mission is expected to launch a batch of Rassvet broadband satellites into orbit.

 

This initiative is part of Vladimir Putin’s broader efforts to establish a low-Earth orbit internet network capable of competing with systems such as Elon Musk’s Starlink, the British newspaper highlights.” The Russian ban deals a direct blow to European fishermen. The Barents Sea is one of the richest fishing grounds in the world; as it lies partly within Norwegian waters, such prolonged periods of exclusion have significant implications for both shipping and the fishing industry. Although establishing a closed zone—for safety reasons—to accommodate the impact of falling rocket debris is a common practice, the use of the term "rocket impact," as well as the scale and duration of the warning, underscore the magnitude of the operations taking place in the immediate vicinity of NATO territory.

 

Russia is accelerating its efforts to build its own satellite network in order to compete with Western systems—including Elon Musk’s Starlink, which has played a pivotal role in military operations in Ukraine.”

 

Everything good for Mr. Zelensky comes to the end. At the same time, Mr. Trump is chopping up NATO, and pieces of NATO are falling over Greenland and the same Barents Sea.