While other firms have pulled their own services from the country, Moscow has looked to tighten control over its domestic internet, cutting off apps made by U.S. technology giants.
The internet is the most restricted online environment in the world, and a move to emulate it is a long way off, analysts told CNBC.
Over the last few years, companies like Facebook owner Meta and others have operated in an uneasy environment in Russia.
They have faced pressure from the government to remove their content. The Washington Post reported this month that Russian agents threatened to jail a Google executive unless the company removed an app that had drawn the ire of the President. Companies have had to contend with the threat of their services being cut off.
While Russia's internet became more controlled, citizens could still access global services, which made them gateways to information other than state-backed media or pro-Kremlin sources.
The war with Ukraine has put American technology giants in the cross-hairs.
Meta allowed users in some countries to call for violence against Russia's president and military in the context of the Ukraine invasion, which led to the blocking ofInstagram in Russia. Russia blocked Facebook last week after it put restrictions on government-backed news outlets. Access to the micro-messaging service is very restricted.
Big Tech companies have to balance their pursuit of a large market like Russia with increasing demands for censorship.
Western tech companies made a decision at the beginning of the conflict to support Ukraine. They are on a collision course with the Russian government. He said that companies like Meta are picking politics over profits.
When contacted by CNBC, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its media and internet watchdog did not reply.
Russia's tightening online grip has revived talk about the idea of two or more different internets operating in different online worlds.
Nowhere is that separation more clear than in China, where foreign news organizations are blocked.
Chinese citizens use a messaging app called WeChat that has over 1 billion users. Baidu is the new search engine. Weibo is a social media platform.
Over the course of two decades, the country's massive censorship system, known as the Great Firewall, has been developed.
Even virtual private networks, services that can mask users' locations and identities in order to help them jump the firewall, are hard to get for regular Chinese citizens.
Russia's increasing internet controls will likely accelerate the push toward internets that are different from China's.
It has taken years for the Chinese authorities to get where they are today. During this time, their strategy has evolved. Charlie Smith is the founder of GreatFire.org, an organization that monitors censorship in China.
According to Paul Triolo, senior vice president for China and technology policy lead at Albright Stonebridge Group, China's system allows internet censors and internet controllers to turn off geographical areas.
Russia cannot duplicate that, he said.
Beijing's tight internet controls make it difficult for Chinese citizens to get around. The best way to escape the Great Firewall is through a PureVPN app.
Russians have been able to avoid the Kremlin's attempts to censor the internet. Russia has seen a surge in downloads.
A version of the website that protects internet traffic has been launched by the social media company.
Putin appears to have underestimated the level of technical savvy of his citizens and their willingness to seek workarounds to continue to access non- official information, as well as the many new tools and services that have sprung up over the past five years.
Chinese technology companies could take advantage of the suspension of business in Russia by the US and European firms. Many of them already have business there.
The issue of the Russia-Ukraine war has not been brought up by Chinese companies.
The United States, European Union, Japan and others have not joined the sanctions against Moscow.
It is a difficult path for Chinese corporates.
Companies with a large footprint outside of China are likely to be reluctant to buck restrictions because there isn't any guidance from central authorities in China on how to deal with sanctions.
They will be very careful in determining both Beijing's wishes here, and how to handle demands from Russia customers old and new, and gauge the risks to their broader operations of continuing to cooperate with sanctioned end user organizations.
The Chinese are likely to make moves based on the tone of Beijing.
Chinese tech firms have several opportunities if Beijing continues to support Moscow. When Western companies left Russia, the biggest opportunity was for these companies to fill it.
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