A Russian court fined Google $2.5 trillion

A Russian court has imposed a fine Google more than the world's GPD for blocking Kremlin-linked accounts on its platforms.

The $2.5 trillion fine – $2.5 trillion trillion trillion – was imposed on Tuesday. according to The Independent.

The Russian court has been doubling the fine every week since 2020, which was originally only 100,000 rubles Google didn't pay the fine.

The fine came after two Kremlin-linked media companies won a lawsuit against Google (GOOGL+2.86%) about restrictions on her YouTube channel.

According to The Independent, Google also banned other Russian channels that supported Russia's actions during the war in Ukraine, resulting in higher fines.

The tech giant has been reducing its activities in Russia for several years, blocking Russians from creating new accounts and restricting the ability of Russian nationals to earn advertising money on YouTube.

“We have ongoing legal matters related to Russia,” Google reportedly said of the fine. “For example, in connection with disputes over the termination of accounts, including those of sanctioned parties, we have been subject to civil judgments that carry penalties.

“We do not believe these ongoing legal matters will have a material adverse effect,” the company said.

Google's Russian subsidiary filed for bankruptcy in 2022 after Russia seized its bank account.

“The seizure of Google Russia’s bank account by the Russian authorities has resulted in the inability of our Russia office to function, including employing and paying employees based in Russia, paying suppliers and vendors, and fulfilling other financial obligations.” said a Google spokesperson at the time, according to Reuters.