In an unprecedented legal move, a Russian court has fined Google a staggering $2.5 decillion—a figure equivalent to $2.5 trillion trillion trillion dollars—for blocking pro-Kremlin content on its YouTube platform. The fine is the result of four years of accumulated penalties, initially set at 100,000 rubles in 2020 but doubling weekly under Russian law. The legal action comes as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, escalating both its physical and digital offensives, including efforts to disseminate misinformation.
The massive fine follows lawsuits won by Russian media outlets Tsargrad and RIA FAN, which sued Google for restricting their channels on YouTube. State-run news agency RBC, which reported on the fine, noted that Google’s restrictions extended to other outlets in 2022 due to their explicit support for Russia’s military actions in Ukraine, resulting in further financial penalties.
Google has responded to the intensifying crackdown with several limitations on its services in Russia. The company stopped creating new accounts for Russian users last month and deactivated AdSense accounts in August. Since March 2022, Russian users have been unable to view Google ads, as the tech giant complies with global sanctions against Russia.
The mounting penalties have led Russian authorities to seize Google’s bank accounts, prompting the company’s Russian subsidiary to declare bankruptcy. Despite these setbacks, Google’s free services, such as YouTube and Search, remain operational in Russia, though under increasing regulatory scrutiny(read, censorship from Russia).
Google acknowledged its legal challenges in Russia in its quarterly earnings report released Tuesday:
“We have ongoing legal matters relating to Russia,[…] going legal matters relating to Russia,” the company noted in the report. “For example, civil judgments that include compounding penalties have been imposed upon us in connection with disputes regarding the termination of accounts, including those of sanctioned parties.”
Meanwhile, Google’s parent company Alphabet saw no immediate impact from the Russian fine, with shares climbing more than 5% in after-market trading after a strong third-quarter earnings report. The surge underscores the broader market’s resilience to Russia’s aggressive legal measures against Western tech companies, even as the geopolitical divide deepens in both online and offline arenas.
