As any lawyer will tell you, laws don’t always have to make logical sense or even be enforceable to exist. This notion is starkly illustrated by a recent ruling from a Russian court, which has slapped Google with an outrageous fine of 2 undecillion rubles—approximately $20 trillion.
The Register highlights the absurdity of this staggering amount, noting that it is roughly 200 trillion times the current estimated “liquid” monetary value in circulation globally. This astronomical fine stems from Google’s removal of 17 Russian TV channels from YouTube, a decision made in response to US sanctions implemented in 2020 and intensified following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The fine starts at 100,000 rubles per day for each restricted channel, doubling every week of non-compliance. With no cap on the potential fine, the situation quickly spirals out of control, a fact easily grasped even by elementary school students.
According to a machine translation of a report by RBC.ru, Google’s Russian subsidiary has effectively been bankrupt since 2022. While the company has already paid billions of rubles in fines for similar infractions, its assets in Russia are so deeply in the red that extracting any meaningful value seems nearly impossible.
In August, Google deactivated AdSense accounts in Russia, effectively shutting down its core business operations in the country. Although Google Search and YouTube remain accessible to Russian users, along with other Google-owned products like Chrome and Android, users are experiencing significant slowdowns as the company’s infrastructure in the region is increasingly neglected. Meanwhile, local competitors like Yandex are moving in to fill the gap.
While the initial blocking of content was undoubtedly influenced by US sanctions and a broader crackdown on Russian state-controlled media, it is clear that Russia is also complicating foreign companies’ ability to operate within its borders. A new law passed in March bans online advertising from “foreign agents,” encompassing nearly anything deemed “anti-Kremlin” by Russian authorities.
