A Russian court imposed a fine of 3.8 million rubles ($ 41,530) on Google Alphabet to host YouTube content, which was claimed to include videos directing Russian soldiers on how to surrender, according to a report issued by the Russian Tass agency on Monday.
For years, Russia has asked foreign technology platforms to remove the content that it considers illegal, including what it describes as “fake” about the war in Ukraine, and issued repeated fines for non -compliance. Critics argue that the Russian authorities have intentionally disrupted YouTube download speeds to reduce access to the content that President Vladimir Putin criticizes and his government.
Russia rejects these allegations, as download problems are due to Google’s failure to update its equipment, which is a disputed demand by Google and Technology experts. In December, President Vladimir Putin accused Google of being used by the US government to enhance its political agenda.
