The Russian ‘splinternet’ is here

The Kremlin has long maintained an antagonistic relationship with the American tech companies, hitting them with fines and throttling social media services when they refuse to adhere to Russia’s censorship demands. | Pavel Golovkin/AP Photo

Russia is being cut off from the rest of the online world — both by U.S. companies severing ties and by the Russian government itself.

This week the Kremlin throttled and restricted U.S. social media, then on Friday blocked Facebook altogether. At the same time, U.S. internet provider Cogent — one of the largest carriers in Russia — said it was cutting its service from the country. And the smartphone

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