The Moscow Arbitration Court in Russia has demanded that Google pay around 20 decillion dollars, a number that greatly exceeds the global economy, not to mention Google’s market value.

The reason for demanding such a sum is the blocking of pro-Russian channels and news outlets on YouTube, a company parent-owned by Google. As such, the chosen amount is the total demanded by the 17 Russian news channels that were blocked. While the channels did not openly violate YouTube’s policies, their open support and promotion of Russia’s actions was the ultimate reason for the ban. Google began to ban these channels in 2022 due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Despite the specificity of the amount, the spokesman for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, claims the demand to be “filled with symbolism” rather than an actual asking price. As such, it is unlikely that this (or any) fine will actually be paid, or that Russia even expects any compensation.

Peskov proceeded to criticize Google’s censorship of Russian broadcasters, claiming that Google is obligated to “pay attention to and correct the situation.”

The Moscow Arbitration Court ordered that Google unblock the accounts within nine months and that a fine of $1,000 be added each day they fail to do so following that period. The fine will double weekly for continuous refusal to accommodate payment. Besides this information, Russia has said nothing about following through with the demand in any way.

Since the announcement, Google has made little to no comments regarding the fines, though they have suspended many services in Russia. As of November 2024, they have ignored interview requests from news outlets such as BBC and NBC. In CNN’s quarterly earnings (profit reports), Google has referred to “ongoing legal matters,” referencing Russia.