Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 25, 2026
1 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleA Moscow court fined Google more than 22 million roubles for distributing VPN services on Google Play, per TASS. The move tightens Russia’s clampdown on tools used to bypass platform bans.
MOSCOW, Feb 25 (Reuters) - A Russian court has fined Alphabet's Google over 22 million roubles ($288,000) for distributing VPN (virtual private network) services on the Google Play app store, state news agency TASS reported on Wednesday.
VPNs provide a means for Russians to access foreign tech platforms and content that Russia has banned or restricted.
($1 = 76.4500 roubles)
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Gleb Stolyarov; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
A Russian court fined Alphabet’s Google over 22 million roubles for distributing VPN services on the Google Play store, according to TASS and Reuters reports.
Authorities say Google distributed VPN services via Google Play. VPNs can help users bypass blocks on platforms and content that Russia has restricted or banned.
The report pegs the fine at about $288,000, based on the exchange rate cited in the article ($1 = 76.45 roubles).
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