Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 17, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 26, 2026
Russia fines Google 3.8 million roubles for YouTube videos instructing troops on surrender, amid ongoing content removal demands.
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian court has fined Alphabet's Google 3.8 million roubles ($41,530) for hosting content on YouTube that included videos instructing Russian soldiers how to surrender, Russia's TASS news agency reported on Monday.
Russia has for several years ordered foreign technology platforms to remove content it deems illegal, such as what it calls "fakes" about the war in Ukraine, issuing small but persistent fines when it sees failures to comply.
Google did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Critics accuse the Russian authorities of deliberately disrupting YouTube's download speeds to prevent Russians from viewing content on it which is critivcal of President Vladimir Putin and his government.
Russia denies that, saying the issues are caused by Google's own failure to upgrade equipment, a charge disputed by the company and technology experts.
Putin in December accused Google of being a tool used by the U.S. government to score political points.
($1 = 91.5000 roubles)
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
The article discusses Russia fining Google for hosting YouTube videos instructing Russian soldiers on how to surrender.
Russia fined Google for hosting YouTube content that included instructions for Russian troops on surrendering.
Russia frequently orders foreign tech platforms to remove content it deems illegal, issuing fines for non-compliance.
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