A Russian court fined Google for posting videos on military surrender

Google was fined $41,530 by Russia for posting YouTube videos that gave Russian military surrender instructions.

Russia’s TASS news agency reported on Monday that Alphabet’s Google was fined 3.8 million roubles ($41,530) by a Russian court for allegedly hosting YouTube videos that gave Russian soldiers instructions on how to surrender.

Russia has been directing foreign tech companies to take down content it deems unlawful for years, including what it refers to as “fake” information regarding the conflict in Ukraine. Businesses that don’t comply are subject to recurring fines; however, they are still not very severe.

Requests for comment on the decision have not yet received a response from Google.

Critics contend that in order to limit access to content critical of President Vladimir Putin and his administration, Russian authorities have purposefully slowed down YouTube’s download speeds. Russia, however, disputes these accusations and places the blame on Google for allegedly failing to upgrade its equipment, something both the firm and computer experts’ contest.

Putin claimed in December that Google was being used for political manipulation and was a weapon of the US administration. The Kremlin’s continued attempts to dominate the digital sphere inside its borders are exacerbated by the most recent fine between Russia and Western tech companies.