Putin, hinting at Russian internet, says world wide web is 'CIA project'

Vladimir Putin gave his clearest signal yet that he aims to break up the global nature of the internet when he branded the network a "CIA project".

The Russian president told a media conference in St Petersburg on Thursday that America's overseas espionage agency had originally set up the internet and continued to develop it.

Putin has long hinted that he wants a Russian-run alternative.

The idea of breaking up the internet has gained ground in Germany, Brazil and elsewhere in the light of the revelations by whistle-blower Edward Snowden about the extent to which the US National Security Agency has infiltrated Facebook, Skype and other social media.

Snowden's critics say that an unintended consequence of his revelations has been to undermine the global nature of the web as well as playing into the hands of dictators. His supporters counter that it is the NSA rather than Snowden that has damaged trust in the service.

A purely Russian-run system could make it easier for the Russian intelligence services to monitor and control traffic. The Kremlin already has powerful tools in place for this, but nonetheless the internet offers a platform for Russian opposition groups denied a voice on the country's television and radio.

At the same media conference, Putin also referred directly to Russia's most popular search engine, Yandex - a reference that caused its shares to plummet.