Dominic Williams has urged blockchain projects to assess how they would cope with disruptions to global internet connectivity, following reports that Russian vessels were involved in an alleged operation targeting undersea cables in Arctic waters.
Williams raised the issue in a post on X, pointing to recent reporting on a confrontation near Norway’s Svalbard archipelago. He said blockchain networks should consider the possibility that states could deliberately target critical internet infrastructure and examine whether their systems could remain operational under those conditions.
“Something all blockchains should consider,” Williams wrote, referring to the possibility of states disrupting global connectivity by attacking undersea cables. He urged blockchain operators to evaluate their security and resilience, warning that network disruptions could create conditions in which some chains might fork.
The comments followed a Guardian report citing Reuters and Western officials, which said Nato forces had confronted Russian vessels in Arctic waters while they were allegedly training to attack undersea cables using a sabotage system involving submersible craft. The officials did not publicly disclose details of the technology involved.
Norwegian Defence Minister Tore Sandvik told Reuters that the operation was intended to signal that covert activity would be detected, while British officials pointed to previous concerns about Russian underwater activities around Norwegian and British waters.
The reports come amid wider concerns about the vulnerability of subsea cables, which carry a large share of the world’s internet and telecommunications traffic. Damage to such infrastructure can affect connectivity across countries and regions, although the consequences for individual blockchain networks would depend on how their nodes, validators and supporting infrastructure are distributed.
The Ukraine war has brought increased attention to the security of critical infrastructure, with European governments also reporting alleged Russian espionage and sabotage activities. The Guardian briefing separately reported that a British man accused of acting for Russian intelligence allegedly provided information about drone manufacturing sites in Swindon. He has not entered a plea.
For blockchain networks, Williams’ warning highlights a broader infrastructure question: decentralised networks may remove reliance on a single central operator, but they still depend on physical communications infrastructure to allow nodes around the world to communicate.
The resilience of a blockchain during a major connectivity disruption would therefore depend on factors including geographic distribution of nodes, alternative network routes and how quickly disconnected parts of a network can reconnect without creating competing versions of the chain.
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