Imagine͏͏ receiving͏͏ a͏͏ bill͏͏ so͏͏ enormous͏͏ it’s͏͏ hard͏͏ to͏͏ even͏͏ fathom.͏͏ Well,͏͏ that’s͏͏ the͏͏ situation͏͏ Google͏͏ finds͏͏ itself͏͏ in͏͏ Russia.͏͏ According͏͏ to͏͏ recent͏͏ reports,͏͏ Russia͏͏ is͏͏ demanding͏͏ that͏͏ Google͏͏ pay͏͏ a͏͏ fine͏͏ of͏͏ 2͏͏ undecillion͏͏ rubles—a͏͏ number͏͏ so͏͏ large͏͏ it’s͏͏ practically͏͏ unimaginable.
The͏͏ Russia-based͏͏ RBC͏͏ news͏͏ website͏͏ broke͏͏ the͏͏ story,͏͏ revealing͏͏ that͏͏ Google͏͏ has͏͏ been͏͏ fined͏͏ 100,000͏͏ rubles͏͏ daily͏͏ since͏͏ 2020.͏͏ Initially,͏͏ this͏͏ seemed͏͏ manageable,͏͏ but͏͏ things͏͏ quickly͏͏ spiraled͏͏ out͏͏ of͏͏ control.͏͏ The͏͏ fines͏͏ doubled͏͏ each͏͏ week,͏͏ leading͏͏ to͏͏ a͏͏ jaw-dropping͏͏ total͏͏ of͏͏ 2͏͏ undecillion͏͏ rubles.͏͏ To͏͏ give͏͏ you͏͏ some͏͏ perspective,͏͏ that’s͏͏ a͏͏ 1͏͏ followed͏͏ by͏͏ 36͏͏ zeros!͏͏ In͏͏ US͏͏ dollars,͏͏ it͏͏ translates͏͏ to͏͏ about͏͏ $2.5͏͏ decillion—a͏͏ figure͏͏ that͏͏ surpasses͏͏ anything͏͏ Google͏͏ has͏͏ ever͏͏ faced͏͏ before.
Why is Google Fined in Russia?
The͏͏ root͏͏ of͏͏ the͏͏ issue͏͏ dates͏͏ back͏͏ to͏͏ 2020͏͏ when͏͏ YouTube,͏͏ owned͏͏ by͏͏ Google,͏͏ blocked͏͏ several͏͏ pro-Kremlin͏͏ media͏͏ outlets,͏͏ including͏͏ Tsargrad͏͏ TV͏͏ and͏͏ RIA͏͏ FAN.͏͏ These͏͏ channels͏͏ were͏͏ supporting͏͏ Russia’s͏͏ position͏͏ on͏͏ the͏͏ invasion͏͏ of͏͏ Ukraine,͏͏ leading͏͏ YouTube͏͏ to͏͏ cite͏͏ violations͏͏ of͏͏ sanctions͏͏ and͏͏ trade͏͏ rules.͏͏ Russia͏͏ didn’t͏͏ take͏͏ kindly͏͏ to͏͏ this͏͏ and͏͏ took͏͏ legal͏͏ action.
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A͏͏ Moscow͏͏ court͏͏ ordered͏͏ Google͏͏ to͏͏ restore͏͏ the͏͏ blocked͏͏ channels.͏͏ When͏͏ Google͏͏ refused,͏͏ the͏͏ fines͏͏ started͏͏ piling͏͏ up.͏͏ Seventeen͏͏ Russian͏͏ TV͏͏ channels,͏͏ including͏͏ prominent͏͏ names͏͏ like͏͏ Channel͏͏ One͏͏ and͏͏ Zvezda,͏͏ joined͏͏ the͏͏ lawsuit͏͏ against͏͏ Google.͏͏ They͏͏ argue͏͏ that͏͏ YouTube’s͏͏ actions͏͏ are͏͏ suppressing͏͏ their͏͏ voices,͏͏ especially͏͏ during͏͏ these͏͏ turbulent͏͏ times.
The͏͏ Scale͏͏ of͏͏ the͏͏ Fine
To͏͏ put͏͏ this͏͏ into͏͏ perspective,͏͏ Google’s͏͏ parent͏͏ company,͏͏ Alphabet,͏͏ has͏͏ a͏͏ market͏͏ cap͏͏ of͏͏ around͏͏ 2͏͏ trillion͏͏ US͏͏ dollars.͏͏ While͏͏ that’s͏͏ a͏͏ massive͏͏ number,͏͏ it͏͏ pales͏͏ in͏͏ comparison͏͏ to͏͏ Russia’s͏͏ demand.͏͏ Reaching͏͏ a͏͏ decillion͏͏ from͏͏ a͏͏ trillion͏͏ involves͏͏ multiplying͏͏ by͏͏ one͏͏ million͏͏ three͏͏ times͏͏ over.͏͏ It’s͏͏ like͏͏ comparing͏͏ a͏͏ drop͏͏ of͏͏ water͏͏ to͏͏ the͏͏ entire͏͏ ocean.
Will Google Pay This Fine?
Realistically,͏͏ Google͏͏ isn’t͏͏ expected͏͏ to͏͏ pay͏͏ this͏͏ fine.͏͏ Their͏͏ Russian͏͏ subsidiary͏͏ declared͏͏ bankruptcy͏͏ in͏͏ 2022,͏͏ and͏͏ the͏͏ company͏͏ has͏͏ been͏͏ fighting͏͏ back͏͏ legally.͏͏ They’ve͏͏ filed͏͏ lawsuits͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ US͏͏ and͏͏ UK,͏͏ aiming͏͏ to͏͏ halt͏͏ Russian͏͏ channels͏͏ from͏͏ continuing͏͏ their͏͏ legal͏͏ battles͏͏ outside͏͏ Russia.
