20 quintillion euros

Russians demand an unbelievable fine from Google

The background to the huge fine is the blocking of pro-government media on the YouTube video portal.

(Bild: Alastair Grant)

A number with 34 zeros: Around three years ago, a Russian court sentenced the US technology company to pay a fine that doubles every week. In the meantime, an amount has accumulated that is higher than all the money in the world combined.

The Kremlin described the gigantic fine on Thursday as symbolic. "The demands demonstrate the nature of the accusations made by our television stations against Google," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

It had previously become known that the sum of the fines imposed by the court on the US company had reached two sextillion roubles (that's around 20 quintillion euros - a figure with 34 zeros).

Amount higher than global economic output
The amount corresponds not only to a multiple of Google's value, but also to a multiple of the world's annual economic output. The dispute revolves around the blocking of a number of pro-Kremlin television channels on YouTube. A Russian court has already ordered the Google Group Alphabet to restore the channels in 2020.

For every day that Google does not comply with this demand, the company must pay a fine of 100,000 roubles (just under 1,000 euros), with the daily penalty doubling every week.

Peskov: "This is the best the company can do"
According to Peskov, the record fine should encourage Google to unblock the channels. "This is the best the company can do," he said. However, there is no sign of Google giving in. After the start of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, which violates international law, YouTube blocked further Russian TV channels.

Moscow cannot enforce the ruling, which only applies on Russian territory. Google's Russian subsidiary was declared bankrupt shortly after the war began.