“The mentioned amount is a debt accumulated by Google as of January 15 for failing to comply with the requirement to restore the accounts of Russian media on YouTube,” the publication cites a source.
Meanwhile, the debt continues to increase each week.
The legal proceedings against YouTube in Russia began five years ago when the channels “Tsargrad” and RIA FAN, part of the media group “Patriot” Evgeny Prigozhin. In 2022, other official media outlets joined the process, whose channels were blocked following the onset of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
Previously, The Washington Post reported that the amount of 1.8 duodecillion rubles — is greater than all global wealth, so the parties will have to seek a resolution to the dispute through means other than payment.
In December of last year, “Kursiv” wrote that YouTube traffic in Russia had dropped to 20% of its usual levels. IT experts believe that the video hosting platform has been completely blocked.