Moscow court fines Google for disclosing data on Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine
A Moscow court has found Google, owned by U.S. tech giant Alphabet, guilty of disclosing personal data of Russian servicemen killed in Ukraine, Russia’s state-run TASS news agency reported on April 21.
The ruling reportedly stems from a YouTube video that allegedly revealed both casualty figures and personal details of Russian soldiers killed during the full-scale invasion.
The court found Google guilty under Article 13.41(2) of Russia’s administrative code, which covers the “violation of procedures for restricting access to information that must be limited under Russian law.” The company was fined 3.8 million rubles (approximately $45,000), according to the court ruling.
Russia has long pressured foreign tech platforms to remove content it considers illegal, including what it describes as “fakes” about the war in Ukraine. Authorities have routinely issued fines—often relatively small but persistent—against companies they accuse of non-compliance.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously accused Google of acting as a political instrument of the United States. In December, he claimed the platform was used by then-President Joe Biden’s administration to “score political points."
In April, a Russian independent media outlet, Mediazona, in collaboration with the BBC Russian service, confirmed the identities of 101,833 Russian military personnel killed in Ukraine.
Mediazona’s latest report covers the period from February 24, 2022, to April 7, 2025. Since it was last updated at the end of March, 1,882 additional Russian military personnel have been killed.
The Kyiv IndependentAbbey Fenbert