Russia fines Telegram, Google over banned content

A Russian court fined Telegram and Google a total of $313,000 for failing to remove content banned in the country.

The Tagansky District Court in Moscow ruled on cases filed against Telegram and Google on Wednesday.

The court ordered Telegram to pay 18.4 million rubles ($221,500) and Google 7.6 million rubles ($91,500) after finding that both platforms failed to comply with laws requiring the removal of banned content.

Russian authorities previously fined other foreign internet platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, X, and TikTok, for similar failures to delete illegal content and fulfill domestic legal obligations.

Russian authorities also maintained an access ban on Telegram within the country.