Faced with major sanctions, Google Russia announced that it would declare bankruptcy. Will Google be another big company pulling out of Russia?
Google has come to the fore in recent months with the fluctuations in its operations in Russia. Faced with major sanctions Google Russia bankruptcy announced that it will. Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has stated that it will not block content and people that Russian government agencies consider “illegal” and has restricted access to many Russian state media worldwide. In return, Russian authorities locked down Google’s bank account, which it used to continue its operations in the country.
Google Russia determined not to disrupt its core services despite bankruptcy declaration
Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, big brands such as Siemens, McDonalds, Volkswagen and Sony have decided to stop their work and even withdraw from the country altogether. Although Google tries to keep its Russian office open to maintain its services, the disagreements and sanctions it has with the Russian government show that Google will also be forced to withdraw. In March, it was claimed that the company turned a blind eye to terrorism, and the blocking of search engine and YouTube services across the country was brought to the agenda.
A Google spokesperson said: “The seizure of our bank accounts by Russian government agencies makes it impossible to continue our activities in the country. Our employees and partners cannot receive their payments, and we cannot maintain our contracts with our suppliers.” Google states that in the event of a withdrawal due to bankruptcy, its free services such as search engine and YouTube will continue in Russia. Reuters states that Russian government reports have included two seizure sentences against Google since March 2022.