Ukraine Drone Forces Shift to Starlink Alternative for Comms to Hit Russia

Key Points:

• Ukraine is transitioning its long-range drone communications from Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starlink system to the Israeli-Italian HiSKY SmartLight satellite technology, which offers lower data capacity but cannot be shut off by the White House.
• The shift was prompted by SpaceX’s imposed speed restrictions on Starlink terminals in Ukraine, which hindered drone operations, leading Ukrainian forces to test and deploy HiSKY terminals in drone strikes against Russian oil refineries.
• HiSKY technology provides anti-jamming capabilities by hopping between geostationary satellites, allowing Ukrainian drones to maintain communication links for coordinated swarm attacks despite lower data transfer speeds compared to Starlink.
• Russian sources claim Ukraine is expanding the use of HiSKY-equipped drones for deep strikes across Russia, while Ukrainian officials neither confirm nor deny these reports but acknowledge the use of similar technologies.
• Despite a temporary pause in refinery attacks at the US government's request, Ukraine resumed drone strikes on multiple Russian oil refineries starting October 30, demonstrating continued operational capability and defiance of US pressure.