A Russian court has reportedly fined Google an extraordinary sum of about two undecillion rubles (equivalent to $2.5 decillion) for not restoring access to accounts belonging to pro-Kremlin and state-run media.
This astronomical penalty, far exceeding the World Bank’s $100 trillion global GDP estimate, comes after a lengthy four-year legal dispute. This dispute began when YouTube, owned by Google, banned the ultra-nationalist Russian channel Tsargrad in line with U.S. sanctions on its owner.
Russian lawyer Ivan Morozov informed state media TASS that Google was held responsible under Article 13.41 of the Administrative Offenses Code for removing specific YouTube channels, with the court requiring Google to reinstate them.
If the fine remains unpaid for nine months, it will double each day without limit, effectively barring Google from re-entering the Russian market unless the company complies.
The fine — one undecillion is a 1 followed by 36 zeros — is far beyond Google parent Alphabet’s 2023 revenue of $307 billion, making payment unlikely.
In response, Google has filed three countersuits against Russian media, arguing the fines are “unconscionable.” Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Google has paused monetization for Russian state-backed media that downplayed Russia’s involvement.
In line with its policies, Google has blocked over 1,000 YouTube channels for policy violations on war-related content.
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