U.S. Creates Russia Sanctions Loophole to Counter Kremlin Spin

The U.S. has quietly created a loophole in its sanctions against Russia to allow exports of communications software to Crimea so that its people can take to the Internet and chip away at the Kremlin’s efforts to control information.

The rule lets companies export social media software for blogging, photo-sharing, instant messaging and other forms of communication in an effort to reduce Russia’s ability “to control the narrative of local events,” the Commerce Department said.