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Key Russian Propaganda Satellite Goes Dark, Replacement Not Expected Until 2030
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Russia has lost a communications satellite used to broadcast television channels across occupied areas of Ukraine, after the spacecraft unexpectedly failed earlier this month, according to a report by The Moscow Times on March 11.
The satellite, known as Express-AT1, stopped functioning on March 4 for reasons that have not yet been disclosed. Attempts by engineers to restore its operation were unsuccessful, and the satellite’s operator has acknowledged that the spacecraft can now be considered permanently lost.
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According to the state company responsible for the satellite, a replacement is unlikely to reach orbit before 2030, leaving a significant gap in Russia’s broadcasting capabilities in the meantime.
The sudden failure of Express-AT1 disrupted television transmissions from several major Russian operators, including NTV-Plus, Tricolor, and Russkiy Mir.
The Russkiy Mir broadcaster was created in 2022 specifically to deliver Russian media content to territories occupied during the war against Ukraine.
For residents of those areas, the channel network served as a central platform for Russian state messaging and propaganda. Due to international sanctions, the operator cannot rely on foreign satellite capacity, unlike the commercial provider Tricolor.
Local Russian “authorities” had also previously banned residents from using satellite dishes tuned to European satellites, further limiting alternative access to television broadcasts.
Earlier, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is rapidly losing the tools it previously used to distribute state messaging abroad, citing the dominance of foreign social media platforms and messaging apps in neighboring countries.
-c439b7bd9030ecf9d5a4287dc361ba31.jpg "Photo of Katherina Popilnichenko")
