Seventeen Russian television channels are demanding an astronomical amount from Google for the closure or suspension of their YouTube accounts - 1.8 duodecillion rubles ($1 undecillion). The number isn’t commonly used in everyday life and is represented as such: $1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 - a figure surpassing the entire global GDP.
The dispute began in 2020 when Tsargrad TV and RIA FAN sued Google LLC (U.S.), Google Ireland (Ireland), and Google’s Russian subsidiary, LLC "Гугл" (Google Russia), demanding the restoration of their blocked YouTube accounts, says RBC, a Russian economic outlet.
Google lost the legal battle in Russia in 2021 but refused to reinstate the YouTube accounts, citing Western sanctions and violations of Google rules by the Russian channels - namely spreading propaganda and fake news.
More to read:
Google Play stops monetization for apps linked to Russian banks
By mid-January 2025, the total claims from 17 Russian TV channels against Google had reached 1.81 duodecillion rubles ($X), a unit with 39 zeros, including penalties accrued as a result of non-compliance with Russian court rulings.
The penalties amount to 100,000 rubles per day, which doubles weekly without a cap until compliance.
Expansion of the case
Following the onset of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, additional Russian media outlets joined the lawsuit, including Zvezda, Channel One, VGTRK (Russia-1, Russia-24), Parliamentary Television, Moscow Media, TV Center, NTV, Gazprom-Media’s GPM Entertainment TV, Public Television of Russia, Channel 360, St.
Petersburg Broadcasting, the Orthodox Television Foundation, the National Sports Channel, and Margarita Simonyan’s YouTube account.
As of 28 January 2025, the market capitalization of Alphabet Inc. – parent company of Google – stood at $2.4 trillion. In its 2024 Q2 financial report, the company acknowledged ongoing legal issues in Russia, including blocked accounts and sanctions-related asset freezes, but stated that these matters would not significantly impact its operations.
More to read:
Google to rename Gulf of Mexico to "Gulf of America" in Maps after government update
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Google ceased operations in Russia and relocated most of its local employees. In April 2022, the Moscow Arbitration Court seized LLC "Гугл’s" assets worth 500 million rubles (roughly $5.2 million) as part of a lawsuit filed by GPM Entertainment TV.
Google Russia filed for bankruptcy in June 2022 and officially closed in October 2023.
International legal efforts
In 2024, the Orthodox Television Foundation, representing several Russian TV channels, filed lawsuits in over ten countries — including Turkey, Spain, South Africa, Serbia, and Algeria — seeking to seize Google’s local assets based on the Russian court ruling.
While legal proceedings are still ongoing, only South Africa reportedly froze Google's assets in mid-2024.
In response, Google sought an injunction from a United Kingdom court to prevent Russian media from pursuing claims outside the U.S. and the U.K. On 22 January 2025, London's High Court ruled in favor of Google, effectively barring further claims in other jurisdictions.
More to read:
Chrome’s sale is likely to end Google era
Despite Google's legal victories abroad, Russian courts remain unaffected by foreign rulings.
Lawyers interviewed by RBC said that international enforcement depended on national laws and agreements. Many countries recognize foreign rulings under international treaties, but enforcement often requires separate court procedures. However, no such agreements exist between Russia and the U.K., making recognition of the U.K. ruling in Russia unlikely.
They point out that both Russian and foreign legal disputes are politically charged and anticipate prolonged litigation until sanctions ease or a settlement when Google decides to return to the Russian market.
In any scenario, there’s no way Google would pay $1 undecillion ever to anyone.
***
NewsCafe is an independent outlet. Our sources of income amount to ads and subscriptions. You can support us via PayPal: office[at]rudeana.com or https://paypal.me/newscafeeu, or https://buymeacoffee.com/newscafe - any amount is welcome. You may also want to like or share our story, that would help us too.