Russia Fines Google, Wikimedia For Internet Law Violations: Report

A Moscow court has reportedly fined Alphabet’s (GOOG/GOOGL) Google seven million rubles ($86,585) for breaching Russian internet regulations, the court announced Tuesday on its Telegram channel.

The Wikimedia Foundation was also fined six million rubles for failing to comply with requirements set by Roskomnadzor, Russia’s communications watchdog, according to the Telegram channel of Moscow’s Courts of General Jurisdiction, as cited by local outlet Oreanda News.

Google was found guilty under Part 2 of Article 13.49 of Russia’s Administrative Code, which covers the failure of foreign companies to meet legal obligations related to operating online services within the country, local news said. 

Google has not commented on the ruling publicly. Meanwhile, Alphabet’s stock edged 0.5% lower after the opening bell on Tuesday. However, on Stocktwits, retail sentiment around the tech giant improved to ‘bullish’ from ‘neutral’ territory over the past day.

Russia has repeatedly targeted the U.S. tech giant. In October 2024, it issued a symbolic two undecillion-rouble fine for blocking Russian state media channels on YouTube. The amount is larger than Google’s market value and the IMF’s estimate of global GDP of around $110 trillion. 

The dispute began in 2020 and escalated after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The initial daily fines started at 100,000 rubles, but quickly increased and began doubling for continued non-compliance.

Google’s Russian subsidiary was declared bankrupt in 2022, ending its commercial services in the country, though its consumer products remain accessible. This development is the latest escalation between Russia and the U.S. company.

(Exchange rate: 1 Rouble = $0.012)

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