The amount imposed by a Russian court on Google is a mind-boggling two undecillion rubles that translate to approximately $20 octillion USD. The penalty, under the tag “Russia fines Google,” is purported to punish the technology firm for denying access to state-controlled media channels on YouTube. Such a huge penalty exceeds Google’s valuation at $2 trillion and also dwarfs the global GDP estimated by the IMF at $110 trillion.
The monumental figure is due to the continued accumulation of penalties, Russian state agency Tass has said. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, reportedly said it was even hard to pronounce the value of the fine but made it clear Google needed to take notice. While Russia fines Google at unprecedented levels, the US-based company has yet to respond publicly.
Russia fines Google after huge content removal from YouTube
The roots of this conflict date back to 2020 but sharply increased in 2022 with Russia’s mass invasion of Ukraine. According to Russia, the fine is well-deserved because Google deleted content from 17 channels of state-backed media from YouTube. Western companies were distancing themselves from Russian activities due to sanctions, and Russian media were blocked throughout Europe.
This pullback, which included Google’s stopping of its ad services in Russia after it declared bankruptcy there in 2022-has only further escalated tensions.
This Russia fines Google controversy is a new chapter in the country’s efforts to control information within its borders. Other previous cases include the 2022 fine Russia imposed on Google, amounting to 21.1 billion rubles, which Google said was because the company failed to block what Russian authorities called “prohibited” content.
Independent journalism and free speech are highly curbed in Russia, and the control is tight on news sources such as RT and Sputnik. This situation has worsened the strain between Russia and Google, showing the wider conflict over media censorship and freedom of speech.