A UK court has barred three Russian TV channels from taking legal action against Google.

The discussion centers on three television channels: Russia Today (RT), "Spas," and "Tsargrad." All of them hold pro-Kremlin positions. After Google decided to block their accounts as part of the sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, these channels turned to Russian courts, which subsequently imposed fines on Google. By the end of October 2024, the total amount of fines reached two undecillion rubles. An undecillion is a unit with 36 zeros. This amount is trillions of times greater than the combined GDP of all countries in the world. The fines double every week until Google pays them.

Google, for its part, has approached courts in the United States and the United Kingdom, seeking to have the fines declared illegal. The company described the lawsuits from the Russian television channels as "a systematic, unlawful, and unfair campaign to seize its assets worldwide."

The judge who issued the rulings referred to the demands of the Russian channels as a "coordinated strategy of foreign pressure," ongoing since the end of 2023.

Previously, the claims of RT, "Spas," and "Tsargrad" were examined by courts in Turkey, Spain, South Africa, Serbia, Algeria, Egypt, and other countries. In June 2024, a court in South Africa seized local assets of Google, but the enforcement of this decision was postponed.

• From May to June 2024, the video service YouTube, owned by Google, blocked approximately 3,600 channels promoting pro-Kremlin propaganda, which is believed to have contributed to the service's restrictions in Russia.