Russia is in pursuit of a substantial amount of money from a renowned tech giant.It has been reported that Google is said to owe the Kremlin an amount surpassing 2 undecillion rubles, which is represented by a 2 followed by 36 zeroes. This sum has accumulated due to Google’s refusal to settle fines for blocking pro-Russian channels on YouTube.The nearly unpronounceable penalty totals $20 decillion, which is equivalent to roughly $20 billion trillion trillion. That truly surpasses the scale of the worldwide economy.World gross domestic product, as reported by the International Monetary Fund, appears rather modest at $110 trillion. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, currently boasts a market value of approximately $2 trillion.According to recent coverage from Russian state media TASS, a court in Russia had previously instructed Google to reinstate the YouTube channels that have been inaccessible since 2022. Failure to comply would result in escalating fines, increasing twofold each week.During a call with reporters on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged being unable to accurately pronounce the amount involved in the lawsuit but emphasized its symbolic significance. He also expressed that Google should refrain from limiting the actions of broadcasters on its platform.In the latest quarterly earnings report, the company made mention of “continuing legal issues” connected to its operations in Russia.Google mentioned that civil judgments with compounding penalties were imposed on them due to disputes about closing accounts, including those of sanctioned individuals. We are of the opinion that these ongoing legal issues will not significantly impact the earnings.After Russia’s complete invasion of Ukraine, Google reduced its activities in the country, yet chose not to completely withdraw, a decision that sets it apart from various other American tech firms. Several services offered by the company, such as Search and YouTube, remain accessible within the country.After some time following the invasion, the Russian sector of Google made the decision to declare bankruptcy and temporarily halted the majority of its business activities as a result of the government taking control of its bank accounts.
