Google Russia must file for bankruptcy after bank account seizure

Google’s Russian arm has filed for bankruptcy after the Russian government seized the company’s bank account. Free services such as the search engine and YouTube will still be available in Russia.

The bankruptcy affects a branch of Google located in Moscow, so can report to Reuters. “The seizure of Google Russia’s bank account by the Russian authorities has made it impossible for our Russian division to continue to function. Hiring and paying employees in Russia, paying suppliers and points of sale and meeting other financial obligations has become impossible as a result. hindered,” according to the Russian branch of the company.

It is not known whether the seizure of Google Russia’s financial resources is a targeted action by the Russian authorities to thwart Google’s services. For the time being, the Russian government emphatically did not want to block YouTube because this would ‘disadvantage users’.

Unlike many comparable tech companies, Google has remained somewhat aloof after the conflict between Russia and Ukraine erupted. The Russian government and the Alphabet company have taken mutual measures against each other; For example, Google stopped selling ads in Russia. The Eastern European country, in turn, blocked Google News due to “fake news” on the platform. There has been no general blockade for the time being.

Image of the Google doodle ‘Russia Day’ via google