Russia has opened a war front against Google, imposing a fine of $20 decillion. This astronomical amount—$20 decillion—has 34 zeros after the number 2. The fine has been levied following allegations that YouTube removed pro-Russian news content and banned channels supportive of Russia. The Russian government has seized Google’s assets in the country.
A fine of $20 decillion, which is more than the total of all the world’s economies combined, signifies an amount that is unfathomable, as it requires putting two zeros followed by 34 zeros. It’s a staggering penalty that raises the question of whether banning Google altogether in Russia might have been a better move.
The fine was imposed against YouTube, owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, in response to the platform’s decision to block media channels associated with the Russian government as part of its actions against the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This amount far exceeds reasonable financial scales and surpasses global economic figures many times over.
The fine was issued after a Russian court ruled that Google violated national broadcasting laws by blocking channels linked to the Russian state media. If the platform fails to comply within nine months, the daily fine will double. The penalty was increased through a ruling demanding the reinstatement of the blocked channels. This issue has been ongoing since March 2022 when YouTube announced a global ban on several Russian state-operated channels, including RT and Sputnik.
YouTube justified its decision by pointing to content policies prohibiting the denial, trivialization, or dismissal of violent incidents. The platform has removed over 1,000 channels and more than 15,000 videos, implementing such policies against channels that support Russia’s narratives surrounding the Ukraine conflict. In Europe, restrictions were placed on Russian state media accounts before the bans spread globally. This action has prompted a backlash from Russia, which views it as censorship and suppression by government-sponsored media.
Since 2020, Google has faced ongoing penalties for blocking Russian channels from two major state-affiliated media outlets, Tsargrad and RIA FAN, starting with a daily fine of 100,000 rubles (approximately $1,028). Reports indicate that 17 Russian broadcasters have filed lawsuits against Google, demanding the reinstatement of their channels on the platform. Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Google significantly reduced its operations in Russia. Unlike some American tech companies that have fully withdrawn, Google has continued partial operations in Russia. However, after the Russian government seized its bank accounts, Google was declared a “foreign agent” within months.
The fine is described by the Kremlin as a significant symbolic action intended to compel Google to reconsider its stance towards Russian broadcasters. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov indicated that this enormous fine draws attention to the seriousness of the issues faced by Russian media concerning YouTube’s imposed bans. “I can’t even pronounce this number correctly,” Peskov said. Although YouTube remains accessible within Russia, authorities have threatened to completely block the platform if it continues to regulate Russian media channels.
