Why Russia has fined Google more than the GDP of the entire world

Russia has imposed a fine of $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 or $20 decillion on Google for failing to restore banned pro-Kremlin YouTube channels. The fine not only Google’s $2 trillion market value but also the entire world’s GDP of approximately $110 trillion.
The Moscow court’s ruling, reported Thursday by Russian state media TASS, stems from Google’s refusal to reinstate YouTube accounts of Russian state media outlets and pro-government channels that were blocked following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“Although it is a specific amount, I cannot even pronounce this number, it is rather filled with symbolism,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, acknowledging the astronomical size of the penalty.
The fine originated in 2020 when Google faced initial penalties of 100,000 rubles (approximately $1,000) per day for blocking channels belonging to Russian media outlets Tsargrad and RIA FAN. Under Russian law, these penalties have doubled weekly without any upper limit, resulting in the current sum of 2 undecillion rubles.
A total of 17 Russian television channels, including state-run Channel One and military broadcaster Zvezda, have filed legal claims against the tech giant. The channels are seeking enforcement of court decisions made against Google in multiple jurisdictions, including Turkey, Hungary, Spain, and South Africa.
Google’s parent company Alphabet addressed the situation in its latest quarterly earnings report, stating, “We do not believe these ongoing legal matters will have a material adverse effect.”
The tech giant’s Russian subsidiary filed for bankruptcy in 2022 after authorities seized its bank accounts, though Google’s free services, including YouTube and Searchcontinue to operate in the country. The company has restricted the creation of new accounts for Russian users and deactivated AdSense accounts in compliance with Western sanctions.