“The amount is full of symbolism”: Peskov explained the fine to Google of 2 billion rubles

“This is a specifically formulated amount. Actually, I can’t even pronounce this number; it is full of symbolism. In fact, these requirements demonstrate the essence of our channels’ claims against Google,” Peskov explained.

He added that the American company should not restrict “the actions of our broadcasters” and a high fine would be “a reason for Google management to pay attention to this and correct the situation.”

On October 29, RBC reported that the amount of claims against the American technology giant by Russian state channels reached 2 undecillion rubles (the figure contains 36 zeros). Among those harmed in the case are Zvezda, Channel One, VGTRK, NTV, RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan and others.

Until Google unlocks Russian media accounts, the fine will double weekly with no limit on the total amount, so the initial fine of around $1,000 could ultimately exceed the market value of Alphabet (the parent company of Google) of $1 trillion, Bloomberg wrote.

The day before, on October 30, the agency reported that Russian state channels asked South African courts to collect a fine from Google. Bloomberg noted that these lawsuits could create a trend for cases to be heard in neutral countries and influence the decisions of other multinational corporations to refuse to do business with Russia or accept its conditions for doing business.

In June 2022, Google LLC, Google’s Russian subsidiary, filed for bankruptcy due to debts amounting to 19 billion rubles. The court declared the company bankrupt in October 2023. In October 2024, Google LLC bankruptcy trustee Valery Talyarovsky asked the court to invalidate payments in favor of Ireland’s Google Ireland Limited.