Russia moves to slow Twitter's speed after protest row

A 3D-printed Twitter logo displayed in front of Russian flag is seen in this illustration picture, October 27, 2017. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Files

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Wednesday it was slowing down the speed of Twitter in retaliation for what it described as a failure to remove banned content, threatening to block the U.S. platform outright if it did not comply with its deletion demands.

The move escalates a growing stand-off between Moscow and U.S. social media firms. It comes weeks after Russian authorities accused Twitter and others of failing to delete posts that Moscow said illegally urged children to take part in anti-Kremlin protests.