Translated to dollar terms, this sum stands at an astonishing $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, far surpassing Google’s estimated value of $2 trillion and even exceeding the world’s total GDP, which the International Monetary Fund estimates at $110 trillion.
The fine is in response to Google’s restriction of 17 Russian state media channels on its platform YouTube. While these restrictions began in 2020, they intensified after Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, prompting most Western companies to exit Russia due to business restrictions and sanctions. This move also led to retaliatory measures from Moscow, including Russia’s ban on many Western platforms and a crackdown on local Google operations.
