LONDON, Oct 31: A Russian court has ordered tech giant Google to pay an astronomical fine amounting to approximately $20 decillion—20 followed by 33 zeros—equivalent to two undecillion rubles. The Kremlin acknowledged on Thursday that the figure is more symbolic than a sum it realistically expects to receive.

According to Russian news outlet RBC, the fine represents the total amount demanded by 17 Russian television channels and other media outlets that have been blocked from YouTube, the video platform owned by Google. These outlets are considered sanctioned supporters of President Vladimir Putin’s regime and its invasion of Ukraine.

The court’s ruling comes with the understanding that Google is unlikely to pay such an exorbitant amount anytime soon. Not only does the fine far exceed Google’s market value of $2 trillion, but it is also larger than the entire global economy, which the International Monetary Fund estimates at around $110 trillion.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the matter during a daily briefing, stating, “Although it is a specific amount, I cannot even say this number; it is rather filled with symbolism.” He further emphasized that Google should not restrict Russian broadcasters on its platform, urging the company’s leadership to address the situation.

The fine continues to accumulate. The case was initially opened in 2020 when Google blocked channels linked to Wagner Group mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and oligarch Konstantin Malofeev. Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, YouTube banned additional channels, leading to an expansion of the case. The court has mandated that Google restore the blocked accounts within nine months, imposing a fine of 100,000 rubles (approximately $1,000) for each day of noncompliance. This fine is set to double every week without any cap on its total size.

Some affected Russian media outlets have sought enforcement of Russian court decisions in other countries, including Turkey, Hungary, Spain, and South Africa. In June, South Africa’s High Court granted a motion to seize some of Google’s assets in that country.

Following the court's ruling, shares of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, saw a slight decline of 1.2% in premarket trading. This comes after a nearly 3% increase in share value on Wednesday, following a positive response to the company’s quarterly earnings report.

In its third-quarter earnings release, under the section titled "Legal Matters," Alphabet acknowledged ongoing legal issues related to Russia. The company stated, “We have ongoing legal matters relating to Russia, including civil judgments that involve compounding penalties associated with the termination of accounts, including those of sanctioned parties.” However, Google remains optimistic, asserting that these legal matters will not have a material adverse effect on the company.