What are the key developments surrounding Russia's Rassvet satellite constellation, including Putin's call to scale it up from its current 16 satellites to a planned 250 by 2027 and up to 900 by 2035 with over 100 billion rubles in funding, his threat to intensify strikes on Ukra

Context: The project was delayed from late 2025 due to production and assembly issues , but the March 2026 launch marked a significant milestone. Commercial service is planned for 2027 .

2. Putin's Threats to Intensify Strikes on Ukrainian Infrastructure

Retaliation for drone attacks on Russian oil and naval targets:

• Ukraine has steadily escalated drone strikes on Russia's energy infrastructure throughout 2025–2026, hitting oil refineries, export terminals (including Primorsk), pipelines, and tankers .
• On September 12, 2025, Ukrainian drones forced a halt at Russia's key Primorsk oil loading terminal for the first time .
• By November 2025, Ukraine carried out a record 14 drone strikes on Russian refineries in a single month .

Putin's response:

• On December 2, 2025, Putin warned he might "cut Ukraine off from the sea" — threatening to isolate Ukraine's maritime access in retaliation for drone attacks on Black Sea fleet vessels .
• More broadly, Russia has responded to these infrastructure strikes with intensified bombardment of Ukrainian energy and civilian infrastructure, a pattern that has continued through 2026 .
• As recently as June 3, 2026, Ukrainian drones struck an oil terminal and naval facilities near St. Petersburg, including a Kronstadt Baltic Fleet base, prompting further Russian escalation threats .

3. India's Freeze on Starlink Approvals

What happened:

• India has effectively frozen final regulatory approvals for Starlink's commercial launch .
• Security agencies under India's Ministry of Home Affairs withheld the necessary security clearances .

The reason — Iran concerns:

• Reports emerged that Starlink terminals were being used during the recent Middle East/Iran conflict despite the service not being licensed in Iran .
• Indian authorities fear they would be unable to control or restrict Starlink's network in conflict scenarios or along sensitive borders .
• This raised national security red flags in New Delhi about whether the network could be used by non-state actors or operate without legal permission in restricted regions .

Status:

• The freeze is not a permanent ban, but final clearances remain on hold .
• The timing is notable: it comes just days before SpaceX's planned IPO .
• SpaceX had already secured a license to begin operations in India after years of lobbying, but the security sign-off remained the last hurdle .