Google wins court battle over Russian judgments

Russian lawsuits against Google led to fines deemed excessive by UK courts, with some penalties reaching figures as large as an undecillion roubles.

Google will no longer pursue aspirational hiring goals for underrepresented groups, reversing a key policy introduced in 2020.

Google secured an injunction from London’s High Court on Wednesday, preventing the enforcement of Russian legal judgments against the company. The rulings related to lawsuits filed by Russian entities, including Tsargrad TV and RT, over the closure of Google and YouTube accounts. Judge Andrew Henshaw granted the permanent injunction, citing Google’s terms and conditions, which require disputes to be resolved in English courts.

The Russian judgments included severe ‘astreinte penalties,’ which increased daily and amounted to astronomical sums. Google’s lawyers argued that some fines levied on its Russian subsidiary reached numbers as large as an undecillion roubles—a figure with 36 zeroes. Judge Henshaw highlighted that the fines far exceeded the global GDP, supporting the court’s decision to block their enforcement.

A Google spokesperson expressed satisfaction with the ruling, criticising Russia’s legal actions as efforts to restrict information access and penalise compliance with international sanctions. Since 2022, Google has taken measures such as blocking over 1,000 YouTube channels, including state-sponsored news outlets, and suspending monetisation of content promoting Russia‘s actions in Ukraine.