The dispute has been raging since 2020
Russia calls a symbolic fine of 20 quintillion euros for Google
The Kremlin is demanding an absurdly high fine from Google because its propaganda channels are not allowed to broadcast undisturbed on YouTube. Now Moscow has commented on the amount.
The Kremlin has described a gigantic fine imposed by a Russian court on the technology group Google as symbolic. “The demands demonstrate the essence of our television channels’ allegations against Google,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. It was previously known that the total amount of penalties imposed by the court against the US company reached 2 sextillion rubles (that’s about 20 quintillion euros – a number with 34 zeros). The amount is not only a multiple of Google’s value, but also a multiple of the world’s annual economic output.
The dispute with Google has been raging since 2020
The dispute revolves around the blocking of a number of Kremlin television channels on YouTube. A Russian court ordered the Google company Alphabet to restore the channels in 2020. For every day that Google does not comply with this requirement, the company must pay a fine of 100,000 rubles (just under 1,000 euros), with the daily penalty doubling every week.
According to Peskov, the record fine should encourage Google to reverse the blocking of the channels. “This is the best the company can do,” he said. However, there is no sign of Google giving in. After the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which violated international law, YouTube blocked other Russian television channels. Moscow cannot enforce the verdict; the verdict only applies on Russian territory. Google’s Russian subsidiary was declared bankrupt shortly after the start of the war.
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Source: Stern
