Russia fines Google

Alphabet’s Google was fined 21.8 billion roubles ($387 million) on Monday by a Russian court for a repeated failure to remove content that Moscow deems illegal, the Interfax news agency reported.

Russia has long objected to foreign tech platforms’ distribution of content that fall foul of its restrictions, but what had been a simmering dispute has erupted into a full-on battle since Moscow assembled its armed forces before sending them into Ukraine in February.

Late last year, Google was fined 7.2 billion roubles for failing to remove or block content. Its Russian unit’s bank account has been seized, prompting the subsidiary tofile for bankruptcy and making it impossible to pay staff and vendors. Google, which may appeal the ruling, did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.