Why Ukraine Said 'Nyet' to Russian Social Networks

When Ukrainian government took the decision to ban the use of Russian internet services such as the Yandex search engine and the social network Vkontakte, it looked like another example of the country's propensity to ape Russia's own worst practices even while it talks about joining the European fold. But the ban is part of a broader debate in the West about whether such platforms are media companies or impartial middlemen.

As the Russian-backed separatist uprising in its eastern regions keeps festering and as annexed Crimea integrates deeper and deeper into Russia, Ukraine has banned Russian TV channels, cut off air traffic between the two countries and outlawed the remittance services used by the millions of Ukrainian migrants in Russia to send money to their families. Internet services appeared on the list for the first time on Tuesday.