Google has suspended selling of all online advertising in Russia, including on its YouTube platform, the company said on Thursday.
The spokesperson said the suspension applies to Russian state-funded publisher sites, apps, YouTube channels, and advertisers.
The Epoch Times has contacted a Google spokesperson for comment.
Earlier this week, Google moved to block content from Russian state-funded media outlets RT and Sputnik across Europe.
The company said in a statement that it was blocking YouTube channels connected to the two media outlets in the EU, effective immediately, due to the ongoing situation in Ukraine.
Prior to that, Google barred both RT and Sputnik, as well as several other Russian channels from earning money for ads on their websites, apps, and YouTube videos, in line with recent EU sanctions.
“Effective immediately, due to an ongoing sensitive event (the war in Ukraine), we are pausing ads from and for Russian Federation state-funded media,” the company said in the update.
The watchdog reportedly claimed that Google’s YouTube video service was “running large advertising campaigns to misinform the Russian audience” which it said were “aimed at creating a distorted perception of current events” and fueling protests, according to the publication.
On Wednesday, the deputy head of Roskomnadzor, Vadim Subbotin, said that Russia is considering amending its legislation to allow it the watchdog to block Google if it fails to comply with domestic internet law.
“But you understand that if we reach a dead end, then at the legislative level we have every opportunity to resolve this issue. If the state sees that some foreign company is not complying with Russian legislation consistently and systematically, then the state amends the law, and for non-compliance with Russian laws, a more severe punishment is possible—such as blocking,” Subbotin said.
The Russian regulator’s alleged demand is part of the Kremlin’s wider crackdown on what it deems as “unofficial” reporting of the invasion of Ukraine.