Majority of Blocked Solana Validators Were Russian, Reports Suggest

Over the weekend, the Solana network removed 32 validators from its delegation program for participating in “sandwich attacks”. According to CoinDesk, citing sources, most of the blocked operators were Russian citizens.

They remain validators in the network but have lost the right to receive rewards for verifying transactions on the Solana blockchain. They also face severe financial sanctions.

According to the source, the 32 validators collectively held 1.5 million SOL, accounting for about 0.5% of the program’s share.

Previously, the Solana Foundation emphasized its commitment to identifying violators who conduct “sandwich attacks” against users.

The block has intensified a months-long shadow war between the “heavyweights” of the Solana validator ecosystem and underground players. This was prompted by actions from Solana client developer Jito Labs.

In March, Jito announced the closure of its mempool, although it was never intended in the Solana blockchain. Some pools went underground, such as DeezNode. Its validators received 50% of profits from MEV operations, writes CoinDesk.

According to a statement from the Jito Foundation, 10% of the JitoSOL pool is delegated to validators managing private mempools. The organization proposed additional economic sanctions for these validators by limiting the coins available for staking.

Co-founder of the network Vitalik Buterin previously identified MEV as one of the three main threats to decentralization of the network, alongside liquid staking and the cost of running a full node.

The EU regulator has identified the technology as a striking example of market abuse.