Google Blocked By Pro-Russian Authorities In Occupied Eastern Ukrainian Regions

Topline

Pro-Russian authorities have blocked Google in the occupied Eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, accusing the tech company of persecuting Russians, as the Kremlin and its allies continue to clamp down on American tech giants amid the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Key Facts

Denis Pushilin, leader of the Russian-backed separatist Donetsk People’s Republic wrote on Telegram on Friday he would ban Google from the region because the company “promotes terrorism and violence against all Russians, and especially the population of Donbass.”

Pushilin accused Google of being “at the forefront” of promoting the persecution of Russians and spreading lies and disinformation, adding the tech company was pursuing a “criminal policy.”

The move comes after Facebook and Instagram were also blocked in Donetsk and Luhansk, which have been controlled for eight years by Russia-backed separatists recognized by Ukraine as terrorist groups.

Google did not respond to a request for comment from Forbes.

Key Background

The Kremlin has cracked down on a host of U.S. technology companies and social media sites, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, since the start of the war. Russia in March opened a criminal investigation against Meta, banning the company and labeling it an “extremist” organization after reports emerged the Facebook parent company had temporarily suspended its hate speech rules against Russia in the context of the Ukraine war. A Russian court upheld the ban last month. Google suspended all ad sales in Russia soon after the war began but kept free services such as search and YouTube in operation, and was fined $374 million by Russia this week, largely for refusing to take down content that disputes the Kremlin’s narrative of the war in Ukraine on YouTube. Russia passed legislation in March that makes it a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison to speak out against its invasion of Ukraine.

Tangent

Some reports suggest Russians have tried to break through bans to access different sources of information since the war began. The day before Russia was set to impose a ban on Instagram in March, demand for Virtual Private Networks (VPN) that allow users to obscure their location to access censored websites rose by more than 2,000%, according to TOP10VPN, a digital monitoring company.

Further Reading

Russia Targets Apple And Google In Latest Anti-Silicon Valley Moves (Forbes)

Google to be banned in Ukraine’s occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions (Guardian)