A Russian court has ruled that Google owes local media stations an astronomical fine of around $20 decillion for blocking their content, and the penalty could continue to grow.
To put that figure in context, the World Bank estimates global GDP at approximately $100 trillion, a mere fraction of the colossal fine. To meet Moscow's demand, Google would need to come up with more money than exists in the entire global economy. On Tuesday, Google posted $88 billion in quarterly revenue—significantly short of the court's demand.
This enormous sum stems from a legal battle that began four years ago when YouTube banned the ultra-nationalist Russian channel Tsargrad in 2020 due to U.S. sanctions on its owner. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, more channels were added to the banned list. Now, 17 stations—including Zvezda, a TV channel owned by Russia's Ministry of Defense—are suing Google, according to Russian media.
"Google was held administratively liable by a Russian court under Article 13.41 of the Administrative Offenses Code for removing these channels from YouTube," lawyer Ivan Morozov told the state news agency TASS. The court ordered Google to reinstate the channels.
The fine began at 100,000 rubles ($1,025) per day, doubling each week. Thanks to compound interest, Google now faces an astronomically large financial burden. On Monday, the judge described the case as one with "many, many zeros."
