Internet Backbone Giant Lumen Cuts Service To Russia

"Life has taken a turn in Russia and Lumen is unable to continue to operate in this market," Lumen said in a published statement. "The business services we provide are extremely small and very limited as is our physical presence. However, we are taking steps to immediately stop business in the region." "We decided to disconnect the network due to increased security risk inside Russia," the statement continues. "We have not yet experienced network disruptions but given the increasingly uncertain environment and the heightened risk of state action, we took this move to ensure the security of our and our customers' networks, as well as the ongoing integrity of the global Internet." According to Internet infrastructure monitoring firm Kentik, Lumen is the top international transit provider to Russia, with customers including Russian telecom giants Rostelecom and TTK, as well as all three major mobile operators (MTS, Megafon and VEON).