Could the internet go down during a war?

Yes. The internet can go down during a war, and local, regional, or even country-wide outages are entirely possible. A total global outage is very unlikely, because the internet is decentralized and has many independent paths and operators.

Wars can disrupt internet access in several ways:

1. Physical damage to infrastructure

• Power outages can take routers, cell towers, and data centers offline.
• Fiber-optic cables, telecom buildings, and transmission equipment can be damaged by strikes, shelling, sabotage, or other damage.
• Damage to major network links, including cables that connect countries and regions, can reduce or cut connectivity.

2. Cyberattacks

• DDoS attacks, malware, wiper attacks, and routing attacks can degrade or interrupt networks.

3. Government shutdowns or throttling

• States may intentionally restrict internet access during conflict for security, censorship, or military reasons.

4. Jamming or interference

• Satellite links and other wireless systems can sometimes be disrupted locally by electronic warfare.

The internet was built to be resilient to partial damage, so if one route fails, traffic can often reroute through others. But in an active war, that resilience is not guaranteed, and civilians may still lose access.

If the internet is unavailable, some offline or local communication apps may help in limited situations, but they are not guaranteed substitutes for normal internet access.

So the short answer is: yes, it can go down during a war, usually in specific areas rather than everywhere at once.