Lumen, a leading American Internet provider to Russia, announced March 8 that it was severing business relations in the country, a move likely to increase Russia’s isolation as its citizens slip behind what some analysts are calling a new digital Iron Curtain. Lumen became the second topUS-based carrier to make such a move in recent days, following the announcement by Cogent Communications. Taken together, these moves are likely to make it harder for Russians to gain access to international services, such as news sites and social media-based in the West, telecommunications experts said. Access to internal networks within Russia would not be affected. American technology and telecommunications companies have been cutting services in Russia since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022. In the same period, Russia’s government has throttled or blocked popular US-based services such as Twitter and Facebook while imposing new criminal penalties for news coverage that doesn’t follow the Kremlin’s strict censorship policies. Many leading Western news organizations have ceased operations there, further weakening the flow of information from the country that is being roiled by punishing international sanctions.
