Ukraine asks US to sanction firms behind Russia's Starlink rival under new Graham law

Ukraine will give the Trump administration and Congress a list of Russian companies, vessels and individuals it wants sanctioned under a new US law, according to Denys Sienik, the senior Ukrainian diplomat in Washington. 1 The law is the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act, which Trump signed on Sept. 18. The administration has until Oct. 18 to decide which Russian entities, if any, to sanction. 1 Sienik's top priority is the firms producing components for Russia's Starlink-style satellite network, Rassvet. The main company building the network is already under US sanctions, but its component suppliers are not. 1 2

Sienik said that if Russia launches the network by the end of 2026, it could target Ukrainian positions in real time. He said a lack of sanctions would make the programme possible for Russia, calling that a "game-changer". 2 1 Reuters adds that Ukraine plans its own national sanctions on the same entities. It says Russia's Iks Holding launched 16 satellites in March and plans 900 over several years, with service due to start in 2027. 2 Ukraine also wants tougher measures against ships in Russia's "ghost fleet", which are used to evade oil-sale restrictions. 1

Sienik wants access to Starlink inside Russia so Ukraine can hit targets there. Reuters says Kyiv believes this would help it strike ballistic missile launchers, because it is short of air defences before winter. 1 2 Sienik also wants the US administration and American industry to condemn Russian strikes on US companies' operations in Ukraine. He said Washington stayed silent, and was reluctant even to name the firms hit, which he said included Boeing, Flex and Bunge offices. 1 2