Russia Fines Google Over Not Taking Down Ukraine YouTube Videos

A Russian courtroom on Thursday slapped a sequence of small fines on Google for failing to take down contentious YouTube movies concerning the Kremlin’s army operation in Ukraine.

The Moscow courtroom ordered the US tech behemoth to pay a complete of $135,000 (roughly Rs. 1 crore) for ignoring the state media regulator’s orders to take away posts alleging heavy Russian losses in Ukraine.

One of the movies confirmed an alleged cellphone dialog between Russian troopers and their family again dwelling wherein the troops complained of quite a few casualties of their ranks, Russian state information companies reported.

Another alleged that troopers who had been attempting to maneuver again from Ukrainian counter-offensives had been being shot by retreat-blocking Russian detachments, the state media experiences mentioned.

Google’s ubiquitous video internet hosting service has been in Russia’s crosshairs all through its practically two-month marketing campaign in Ukraine.

The tech large infuriated Russian officers by blocking the decrease home of parliament’s official media channel earlier this month.

Russia has moved swiftly to chop entry to non-state media and data sources because the launch of its operation in February 24.

Russian courts have banned Facebook and Instagram, calling them “extremist” organisations, in addition to Twitter.

All three are nonetheless accessible by means of VPN providers, which attempt to disguise consumer areas.

But most Russians get their information from state tv and different government-controlled media retailers, which comply with strict guidelines on overlaying the army marketing campaign.