The Kremlin has called the fine a largely symbolic measure.
New Delhi: Russia has imposed a fine against Google, estimated to amount to $20 decillion – 2 followed by 34 zeros. The unprecedented fine has been imposed on YouTube, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, due to the platform’s decision to block Russian state-run media channels in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The amount is far beyond any reasonable financial scale, far exceeding the entire global economy by many times.
The fine was imposed after a Russian court ruled that Google had violated national broadcasting rules by blocking channels of Russian state-backed media outlets on YouTube. The fines are further complicated by an additional order demanding the reinstatement of these channels, with the fine doubling every day if the platform fails to comply within a nine-month period.
The issue dates back to March 2022, when YouTube announced a global ban on several Russian state-run channels, including RT and Sputnik. The platform justified its decision by pointing to content policies that prohibit content that denies, minimizes, or trivializes violent events. YouTube has enforced such policies against channels supporting Russia’s narratives around the Ukraine conflict, removing more than 1,000 channels and over 15,000 videos globally. In Europe, restrictions were imposed on Russian state media accounts before the ban spread worldwide. This action led to a backlash from Russia, which sees the move as censorship and repression on its state-sponsored media.
Since 2020, Google has been facing a series of penalties, starting with a fine of 100,000 rubles (about $1,028) per day for blocking Russian channels from two of Russia’s major state-run media outlets, Tsargrad and RIA FAN.
According to reports, 17 Russian broadcasters have joined the legal battle and filed suit against Google seeking to have their channels reinstated on the platform.
After the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Google substantially reduced its operations within Russia but paused before pulling out completely. Services like YouTube and Google Search remain accessible within Russian borders. Unlike some U.S. tech companies that withdrew completely, Google continues to have partial operations in Russia, although its Russian subsidiary filed for bankruptcy several months later in the conflict after the Russian government seized its bank accounts.
The Kremlin has described the fine as a largely symbolic measure aimed at forcing Google to reconsider its stance on Russian broadcasters. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media that the hefty fine amount is intended to draw attention to how seriously Russia views the issue of YouTube’s restrictions on Russian media. “I can’t even pronounce the exact figure,” Peskov said.
Since the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has leveraged a variety of penalties against foreign tech platforms hosting content deemed anti-Russian or pro-Ukrainian. Although YouTube remains accessible within Russia, authorities have threatened to block the platform entirely if it bans Russian media channels.
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