Russian Court Fines Google $137,600 For Distributing Prohibited YouTube Videos

Moscow's Tagansky District Court fined Google 4 million rubles ($49,900) for distributing YouTube videos containing false information about the events in Ukraine and 7 million rubles ($87,700) for videos containing calls for terrorist attacks and sabotage in Russia, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Thursday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st April, 2022) Moscow's Tagansky District Court fined Google 4 million rubles ($49,900) for distributing YouTube videos containing false information about the events in Ukraine and 7 million rubles ($87,700) for videos containing calls for terrorist attacks and sabotage in Russia, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Thursday.

"The court found Google guilty of committing an administrative offense under Part 2 of Article 13.41 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses," judge Timur Vakhrameev said in his verdict, adding that "a penalty in the form of a fine of 4 million rubles was imposed."

Google was found guilty of distributing YouTube videos containing fake information about losses of the Russian armed forces and civilian casualties during Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.

In a separate offense under the same article of the Administrative Code, Google was fined 7 million rubles for YouTube videos containing calls for terrorist attacks and sabotage in Russia.

"To find Google guilty of committing an administrative offense under Part 4 of Article 13.41 of the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses, to impose a fine of 7 million rubles," the judge said.

The controversial YouTube videos that sparked the proceedings in Russia were released by extremist and recognized neo-Nazi Ukrainian groups, including the Right Sector (banned in Russia as extremist) and the Azov battalion (under criminal investigation in Russia).

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine with the purpose of "demilitarization and denazification" of the country after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian forces.