Belarus-based developers have their accounts deactivated too.

Google Play has suspended payments to app developers with Russian bank accounts and has cancelled the monetization features for their apps starting December 26. The money left on Google accounts from prior purchases will be transferred by mid-January 2025, according to a notification from the company in the Russian version of the platform.

Google didn’t say whether the measure is temporary or permanent, and did not explain the motive of this decision, which is most likely linked to Western sanctions on Russian banks and mounting pressures from Moscow to disclose personal data of Google services users.

Google also deactivated all Belarus-based AdSense, AdMob, and Ad Manager accounts, effective since 13 December.

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Last August, Google halted ad monetization for Russian publishers on AdSense, AdMob, and Ad Manager, citing “ongoing geopolitical tensions.” This impacted Russian digital publishers, content creators, and app developers who use these platforms for revenue generation through ad impressions and clicks.

Ad serving to users in Russia was disabled in March 2022.

By suspending payments to developers with Russian bank accounts, Google aims to adhere to U.S. and E.U. sanctions and mitigate potential legal and financial risks.

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