Moscow’s Tagansky court issued multiple rulings on Wednesday against Western tech firms Google, Telegram, and Pinterest for failing to comply with the Kremlin’s demand on informational control.
Russian state media RIA Novosti reported that Google was fined 7.6 million rubles ($87,054) for not removing Wheely, a UK-based chauffeur app, from its Google Play marketplace in Russia against the Kremlin’s demand.
It’s unclear why the app was blocked in Russia.
As for Telegram, the company was fined 3.8 million rubles ($43,527) for not removing what the court called “fake news about a special military operation and extremist content,” according to RIA Novosti, citing the Kremlin’s official term for its Ukraine invasion.
For Pinterest Europe Limited, the court fined the company 10.8 million rubles ($123,709) – 7 million rubles ($80,186) for not removing LGBT content, and 3.8 million ($43,527) for “information involving minors in activities dangerous to their lives,” the Russian outlet wrote.
Russia’s Supreme Court branded the “international LGBT movement” an “extremist organization” in a November 2023 ruling, with the country adding it to a list of extremist and terrorist organizations in March 2024.
Russia’s habit of fining foreign tech firms
Tech companies are no stranger to Russian fines – especially Google and Telegram.
In October 2024, Google was hit with Russia’s astronomical $2.5 decillion fine for refusing to reinstate over a dozen pro-Kremlin accounts on Google’s subsidiary YouTube.
For reference, a decillion contains 33 zeros – approximately 312.5 quintillion times Russia’s gross domestic product (GDP) of $8 trillion in 2023.
In March 2024, the Kremlin also fined Google for not restricting access to some prohibited content on YouTube.
Google’s subsidiary filed for bankruptcy in the summer of 2022, a decision recognized by a Moscow court in October of that year.
Telegram, a communication platform created by Russian-born tech mogul Pavel Durov, was also the subject of Russian fines and persecution as the Kremlin sought to tighten its grip on the informational space.
In April, Russia imposed a total ban on Telegram to push users toward the state-sanctioned Max platform, while ordering politicians to use Max as their main platform to disseminate information. Despite the call, most updates from Russian officials are still available on Telegram as of August 2026.
In July, the Kremlin hit Durov with terrorism charges and declared him wanted, with a Russian official telling state media TASS on Wednesday that fines against Telegram have risen to 38 million rubles ($435,265) after the latest ruling.
In August, Russia’s largest social media platform VK also sued Apple for 58 million rubles (around $700,000) for delisting VK from its App Store marketplace.