On Friday LINX announced the suspension of two Russian members:
- Megafon (AS31133)
- Rostelecom (AS12389)
In an email to LINX members Pieter Knook, LINX Chairman, explained that the decision to suspend the companies was based on legal advice. It’s clear that LINX are doing some due diligence on members to see which other ones might be impacted by the current sanctions:
The company continues to investigate whether any other members may be connected to designated persons. We are contacting selected members seeking information concerning their ultimate control and ownership, where we believe there may be such a relationship with a designated person. If LINX staff contact you with such an enquiry, I would be grateful if you would provide your full cooperation.
In emails from LINX’s CFO to the impacted members the rationale for the suspension was presented as:
Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I. 2019/855), and the list of sanctioned entities published by the Secretary of State under the powers set out in those regulations
As LINX is a UK entity it is bound by UK law so it has to abide by sanctions.
Being removed from LINX will have “an” impact on them, however they’re still present at multiple other European IXPs for now. That may change.
