12.11.2026
Ukraine does not confirm the use of Israeli HiSky. Source: Getty Images
Ukraine has probably found an alternative to the Starlink satellite system, which could significantly increase the effectiveness of drone strikes on Russian territory. This is the Israeli HiSky satellite system, the use of which the Ukrainian military command has not officially confirmed at this time.
This is reported by Yle. The publication notes that since the end of October, Ukraine has been carrying out large-scale strikes with groups of drones on Russian oil refineries almost every day, and the consequences of the attacks indicate much greater destruction than before.
The Russian military began reporting on Ukraine’s possible use of HiSky in late October. They claimed that the wreckage of downed Ukrainian drones contained components of this Israeli system.
At the same time, the Ukrainian military command neither confirms nor denies the use of this technology.
Advantages of the Israeli HiSky system over Starlink
The publication notes that the Israeli HiSky system has a number of advantages over Elon Musk’s Starlink. While Starlink operated only within the state borders of Ukraine, but not in the territory of the Russian Federation, HiSky operates throughout the European part of Russia, which allows it to significantly expand strikes and increase their effectiveness.
One of the main advantages of HiSky is also the ability to support two-way data exchange during the flight of the drone. Thanks to this, Ukrainian operators can find out whether the first UAVs have hit the designated target. If the object has already been destroyed or damaged, the remaining drones can be redirected to other important targets.
For example, if the primary target at a refinery was an oil distillation unit, and the first drones hit it, the drones still in the air could be directed at cracking units, oil storage tanks, or electrical substations.
Operators can also change drone routes if they detect a significant concentration of air defenses along the way. Previously, drones that had already been assigned a task would continue to move towards a designated target even if it was destroyed by the first waves of the attack.
At the same time, Finnish analysts note that HiSky has certain limitations compared to Starlink. This includes limited bandwidth, which means that it does not allow for receiving television images from the scene.
However, it is more difficult to suppress with electronic warfare means. If the signal from one satellite weakens, the system automatically switches to another. HiSky actually has only one satellite, but also uses satellite services from other private companies.
Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries intensify
As Yle notes, although Ukraine’s use of HiSky has not yet been confirmed, the results speak for themselves – the intensity and results of Ukrainian drone strikes have increased noticeably recently.
Since late October, Ukraine has been carrying out large-scale attacks on Russian oil refineries almost daily, using “swarms” of drones. According to video footage from the sites of the attacks, the scale of the damage to the enterprises has become significantly greater than during previous attacks.
This means that Russia is losing more and more of its oil refining capacity, which is becoming increasingly difficult to restore through repairs.
The publication also notes that Ukraine well remembers Elon Musk’s decision to limit the operation of the Starlink system, which deprived the country of a significant part of its strike capabilities. Using an alternative system that does not depend on such political decisions of the owner could reduce such vulnerability.
As OBOZ.UA reported, Russian military bloggers reported on the alleged use of new satellite communication terminals by the Defense Forces for long-range strikes. This news caused real hysteria among Russian “military personnel”. The advisor to the President of Ukraine on the development of technological areas of defense, Serhiy “Flash” Beskrestnov, responded to this . He reminded the enemy that in addition to Starlink, there are other systems , but at the same time he did not confirm or deny the use of such systems.
Very interesting!