Google was forced to file for bankruptcy in Russia after Russian authorities seized its bank account and made it virtually impossible for the company to continue operations in the country.
The Russian subsidiary of Google, an Alphabet group company, plans to file for bankruptcy after authorities seize his bank account, in an apparent escalation of the Kremlin’s drive to cut off Russians from information about the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The Russian branch of Google said it made 134.3 billion rubles (about 2 billion euros) in Russia in 2021 and employed more than 100 workers.
The recent seizure of Google’s Russian bank account has made it impossible to operate our office in Russia, including hiring and paying Russian-based employees, paying suppliers and vendors, and meeting other financial obligations a Google spokesperson told Reuters. The company simply had no choice but to declare bankruptcy..
Google will continue to offer its services for Russian users
For several months now, the Russian branch of Google has been under pressure in Russia for not removing content that Moscow deemed illegal and for restricting access to YouTube for certain Russian media. As a reminder, Russia had, for example, accused Google of spreading fake news and fined it 126,000 euros. Although Russia has banned Google News for spreading “unreliable” information about the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin has so far failed to completely block access to the company’s services.
Like many other companies, Google suspended most of its business operations in Russia after that country invaded Ukraine in February. Despite this and the bankruptcy filing, the company will continue for the time being to provide Russians with access to free services such as Google Search, YouTube, Gmail and Maps.
The Play Store online store on Android is also maintained, but it is recalled that users can no longer buy applications at present, because Google has suspended all payment services as part of its response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Source : Reuters
