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Russian State TV Channels Demand 2 Undecillion Rubles from Google

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Russian State TV Channels Demand 2 Undecillion Rubles from Google
A Russia's state-controlled Russia Today (RT) television broadcast van is seen parked in front of St. Basil's Cathedral and the Kremlin next to Red Square in Moscow on March 16, 2018. (Source: Getty Images)

The total claims from Russian state-controlled television channels against Google have surged to 2 undecillion rubles (approximately $22.1 trillion) due to the blocking of their YouTube accounts, according to an October 29 report by RBK, citing a source familiar with the matter.

An undecillion is a number with 36 zeros. During the latest court session on October 28, the judge noted they were handling "a case with many, many zeros."

Russian court has imposed a fine on Google for its refusal to restore the Russian propaganda YouTube channels, which include Channel One, VGTRK, NTV, the Ministry of Defense's Zvezda channel, and M.S. Simonyan.

Under the court's ruling, if Google does not restore the YouTube channels, it will incur penalties. Should the company fail to comply with the court's decision within nine months, it will face a daily fine of 100,000 rubles (approximately $1,100), which will double each week until the ruling is fulfilled. There is no cap on the total amount of the escalating fines.

Another participant in the proceedings informed RBK that in September, the total amount of the fine was nearly 13 decillion rubles (approximately $143 trillion) with a decillion consisting of 33 zeros.

It was previously reported that Google has restricted the creation of new accounts in the Russian Federation, according to a statement from the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications, and Mass Media on September 26.

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