Russian Court Fines Google an Astounding Two Undecillion Roubles for Restricting State Media on YouTube: $20 Quintillion!

Russian Court Fines Google an Astounding Two Undecillion Roubles for Restricting State Media on YouTube”

A Russian court has imposed a staggering fine of two undecillion roubles on Google—an amount represented by a two followed by 36 zeros—for limiting access to Russian state media channels on YouTube. This astronomical penalty translates to approximately $20 sextillion, far exceeding Google’s $2 trillion valuation and even surpassing the world’s total GDP, estimated at around $110 trillion by the International Monetary Fund.

The fine continues to escalate rapidly, a point emphasized by state news agency Tass. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged the absurdity of the figure, stating he “cannot even pronounce this number” while urging Google management to take notice.

The fine stems from Google’s actions regarding 17 Russian media channels on YouTube, a situation that has worsened since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. As most Western companies withdrew from Russia and sanctions tightened, Google’s local subsidiary was declared bankrupt, and it halted commercial services like advertising, although its products remain available in the country.

This incident marks another chapter in the escalating tensions between Russia and the tech giant. In May 2021, Russia’s media regulator, Roskomnadzor, accused Google of restricting YouTube access to Russian media outlets, including RT and Sputnik. In July 2022, Google faced a previous fine of 21.1 billion roubles for not removing what Russia deemed “prohibited” content related to the war in Ukraine.

In a climate where press freedom is nearly non-existent, independent news outlets and freedom of expression continue to face severe restrictions in Russia.