The government of Russia imposed a "fantastic" fine on the American company Google, amounting to a sum unmatched by any other, for blocking access to Kremlin-linked channels on the YouTube platform. According to CNN, Google is required to pay the Kremlin 20 trillion dollars, which equates to 2 followed by 33 zeros, or about 20 trillion dollars.
"This amount is simply impossible to even comprehend," acknowledged Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov in a conversation with journalists on Thursday, but added that the figure cited was more symbolic. According to him, Google "should not restrict the actions of our leading entities on its platform."
According to Russian state media, a court in Russia ordered Google to restore the channels on YouTube, otherwise it could face escalating accusations, and, according to an attorney involved in the case, if the fine is not paid within nine months, it will increase every day. "Google cannot return to the Russian market until it complies with the court's ruling," TASS notes.
After the Russian-Ukrainian war, Google curtailed its operations in the country, but did not fully retreat, unlike many other American technology companies. At the same time, the market capitalization of Alphabet, the parent company of Google, amounts to about 2 trillion dollars.
