Google has been fined $2.5 ‘decillion’ by a Russian court for blocking pro-Kremlin propaganda on YouTube.
The fine, equivalent to $2.5 trillion trillion trillion, is the result of four years of accumulated fines, with the figure doubling every week under Russian law.
The original penalty of 100,000 rubles was handed to Google in 2020 after media outlets Tsargrad and RIA FAN won lawsuits related to restrictions on their YouTube channels.
Google also banned other media outlets in 2022 due to their support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, resulting in further fines.
As part of broader sanctions against Russia, Google restricted the creation of new accounts for Russian users last month and deactivated AdSense accounts in August.
As a result, Russian authorities seized Google’s bank accounts, forcing the US firm’s Russian subsidiary to file for bankruptcy.
Google’s free services, including YouTube and Search, have continued to operate in Russia.
The fine appeared to have no impact on Google parent Alphabet, which saw its shares rise more than 5% in after-market trading on Tuesday after beating its third-quarter earnings expectations.
