Russia's $2.5 decillion fine on Google for blocking YouTube channels exceeds total world GDP

A Russian court imposed a $2.5 decillion fine on Google, a figure that exceeds the global GDP. This enormous penalty was levied after tech giant's subsidiary, YouTube, blocked accounts of Russia's state-run news channels.

This enormous penalty translates to an astonishing 2.5 trillion trillion trillion dollars. Initially, a fine of 100,000 rubles was levied on Google in 2020, but due to daily increases, the amount has now reached this staggering level.

Ivan Morozov, a Moscow-based lawyer, told the state-run news agency that Google was fined for the failure to comply with a jury order to restore the Russian Media accounts on YouTube, resulting in a fine that had been regularly doubling for years. 

The world’s GDP, which is about $105 trillion, is a minuscule fraction of the fine, which include "many zeros"

Google had suspended the Russian account to comply with US sanctions in 2021. 

In 2022, Google’s legal arm, Google LLC, filed for bankruptcy, as authorities seized its bank account, although free services are being continued to operate in the country.

The Russian court said it had imposed the fine on Google, which owns YouTube because the company failed to comply with a ruling by Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) to restore the Russian media accounts, RBC reported.

While Google continues to operate within Russia, the company took significant steps in response to the Ukraine conflict. In August, it blocked AdSense accounts for users in Russia, and in September, it suspended new account sign-ups in the country.

Since 2022, online ads have been banned for Google users in Russia, leading the government to seize the company's bank accounts, ultimately pushing Google’s Russian subsidiary into bankruptcy.

In response to the news, Google stated, “We do not believe these ongoing legal matters will have a material adverse effect.”