Russia is seeking an unprecedented amount of money from Google, one of the world's largest tech companies. The Kremlin claims that Google owes them over 2 undecillion rubles, equivalent to $20 decillion, for failing to pay fines related to the blocking of pro-Russian channels on YouTube.
This staggering penalty far surpasses the global economy's size, with the world's gross domestic product standing at $110 trillion. In comparison, Google's parent company, Alphabet, has a market value of around $2 trillion.
According to Russian state media TASS, a Russian court has ordered Google to reinstate the YouTube channels or face escalating charges. Failure to pay the fine within nine months will result in daily doubling of the penalty.
Google has acknowledged the legal issues in its quarterly earnings report, stating that civil judgments with compounding penalties have been imposed on them. The company believes that these legal matters will not significantly impact its earnings.
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Google scaled back its operations in the country but did not completely withdraw. While many American tech companies exited Russia, Google's services like Search and YouTube remain accessible there.
After the invasion, Google's Russia subsidiary declared bankruptcy and halted most commercial activities when the government seized its bank accounts.
