Russia is demanding an astronomical sum from Google, one of the world’s leading tech giants, which reportedly owes the Kremlin more than 2 undecillion rubles -- a 2 followed by 36 zeroes -- for refusing to pay fines incurred after blocking pro-Russian YouTube channels.
The staggering penalty, equal to about $20 decillion (or $20 billion trillion trillion), vastly surpasses the size of the global economy. By comparison, the world’s GDP stands at around $110 trillion, according to IMF figures, while Google’s parent company, Alphabet, has a market value of approximately $2 trillion.
Russian state news agency TASS reported that a court had previously ordered Google to unblock the channels, many of which have been restricted since 2022, or face exponentially increasing fines that double each week.
When asked about the lawsuit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted he “can’t even pronounce this figure” but said the amount was “symbolic,” criticizing Google for restricting Russian broadcasters on its platform.
Google, in its latest earnings report, acknowledged “ongoing legal matters” concerning its Russian business, specifically related to compounding civil judgments on account terminations, including for sanctioned parties. The company stated that it does not anticipate these issues will impact its earnings materially.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Google scaled back its operations in Russia, though services like Search and YouTube remain available. In the months after the invasion, Google’s Russian subsidiary filed for bankruptcy and suspended most commercial operations after the government took control of its bank accounts.
