Two million rubles: that’s the fine Russia wants Google to pay for blocking Russian media on YouTube. A value “full of symbolism,” according to the Kremlin.
It is an unprecedented value. Russia fined Alphabet, Google’s parent company, more than two million rubles (a number equivalent to a 2 followed by 36 zeros) for its refusal to restore the YouTube channels of state and/or pro-state media outlets that started blocking. 2020.
The value of the fine eclipses not only the market value of Alphabet, valued at about two billion dollars, but also the world’s GDP, estimated at $110 billion (a figure with 13 zeros) by the International Monetary Fund. according to Sky News.
Asked about the Russian court’s decision to impose the fine, Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, He admitted that he “doesn’t even know how to pronounce this number,” but said the amount is “full of symbolism.”. “The company [Alphabet] “We should not restrict our stations on their platform,” he highlighted during the instructions daily this Thursday, according to NBC News.
Alphabet has not yet commented publicly on Russia’s decision, which establishes that if the fine is not paid within nine months the amount will continue to increase, with no limit to the amount it may reach. In this way, Moscow stipulated that the value of the fine will double each day after the established deadline and prohibited Google from operating in the Russian market until it complies with the court decision.
The value began to accumulate four years ago. when, in 2020, Google blocked the YouTube accounts of the pro-Kremlin channel Tsargrad TV, owned by oligarch Konstantin Malofeev, and RIA FAN to comply with US sanctions legislation. Two years later, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, more accounts belonging to pro-Kremlin Russian media were banned, including sites such as Sputnik and RT. Over the years, Alphabet has refused to reinstate the accounts.
Source: Observadora
