Ukraine requested the removal of Russian websites by the internet's regulatory body.

• ICANN confirmed that Ukraine requested the removal of Russian domains from the internet.
• An unprecedented move could prompt Russia, China, and other governments to abandon ICANN, leading to the fragmentation of the internet.
• The negative consequences of the Russian government's actions in Ukraine will be felt by the Russian people, as a sanction on the aggressor nation will cripple its economy.

ICANN, a global internet domain nonprofit, confirmed on Tuesday that it has received a letter from the Ukrainian government requesting the removal of Russian domains from the internet.

Angelina Lopez, spokeswoman, confirmed receipt of the letter and is reviewing it. No further comment is available at this time.

Earlier today, Rolling Stone reported that the Ukrainian government requested ICANN to revoke domains issued in Russia and shut down primary Domain Name System servers in the country, which could potentially bar access to Russian internet sites and knock the entire country offline.

The proposed move to remove Russia's access to the global internet has sparked a robust debate online about the wisdom of such a decision amid concerns for the future of the web and the world economy.

The negative consequences of the Russian government's actions in Ukraine will be felt by the Russian people, as a sanction on the aggressor nation will cripple its economy.

On the downside, the move could lead to Russia, China, and others seeking alternatives to ICANN, which could result in the fragmentation of the internet and jeopardize its future.

In 2018, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt predicted that the global internet would eventually split into two, with one sector led by China and the other by the U.S. Currently, Beijing censors internet traffic and has banned companies like Facebook and Google from operating there.

Russia has intensified its efforts to control domestic information since 2019, including installing new equipment to block and filter information. In spring 2021, it slowed down access to Twitter, accusing the company of being slow to remove certain content.

The Ukrainian government did not promptly respond to a query regarding the ICANN request.