Russia slaps a whopping $20 decillion fine against Google – a 2 followed by 34 zeros. The unprecedented fine targets YouTube, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, over the platform’s decision to block Russian state-run media channels in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This amount is far greater than any reasonable financial scale, many times greater than the entire global economy.
The fine followed a Russian court ruling that Google violated national broadcasting rules by blocking the channels of Russian state-backed media outlets on YouTube. The fine is joined by an additional judgment that demands the restoration of these channels, with the fine doubling for every day if the platform fails to comply within a nine-month period.
The case 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 incidents. YouTube has implemented such policies against channels supporting Russia’s narrative around the Ukraine conflict, removing more than 1,000 channels and 15,000 videos globally. In Europe, restrictions were imposed on Russian state media accounts before the ban was expanded worldwide. The action sparked a reaction from Russia, which sees the move as censorship and repression of its state-sponsored media.
Since 2020, Google has faced a steady stream of penalties, starting with a daily fine of 100,000 rubles (about $1,028) on blocked Russian channels from Tsargrad and RIA FAN, two major Russian state-affiliated media outlets.
According to reports, 17 Russian broadcasters have joined the legal battle, filing a lawsuit against Google and demanding the restoration of their channels on the platform.
Following the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Google substantially scaled back its operations within Russia, but stopped short of opting out entirely. Services like YouTube and Google Search remain accessible within Russian borders. Unlike some US tech companies that have fully withdrawn, Google continues to have partial operations in Russia, although its Russian subsidiary filed for bankruptcy in a months-long struggle after the Russian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 large fine amount is intended to draw attention to the seriousness with which Russia views the issue of YouTube’s ban on Russian media. “I can’t even pronounce this figure correctly,” Peskov said.
Since its invasion of Ukraine, Russia has taken advantage of a variety of penalties against foreign tech platforms for hosting content deemed anti-Russian or pro-Ukrainian. Although YouTube is accessible within Russia, authorities have threatened to block the platform entirely if it continues to restrict Russian media channels.
