Russia Hits Google, Telegram, and Microsoft with Fresh Fines
Russia's ongoing crackdown on foreign tech companies has resulted in another round of fines for Google, Telegram, and Microsoft. The Taganskiy District Court in Moscow ruled that these companies failed to comply with Russian law by not removing prohibited content from their platforms.
The court ordered Telegram and Google to pay fines of 3.8 million rubles each, while Microsoft was fined 3.5 million rubles. This brings the total amount owed by Google since the end of 2021 to over 29 billion rubles, with an outstanding debt in Russia exceeding 20 billion rubles.
Russia has been imposing fines on various foreign tech companies, including Apple and TikTok, for similar reasons. The restrictions on Telegram's operations in Russia have also resulted in significant financial penalties, with Moscow courts imposing fines totaling over 100 million rubles in the first six months of this year alone.