In response to a question about the matter by ZDNet,
Google on Wednesday confirmed its Russian subsidiary’s bankruptcy filing after its assets were confiscated by the Kremlin.
However, the administration of the American giant will continue to provide free services such as Search,
YouTube, Gmail, Maps, Android and Play to users residing in Russia.
With the Russian office closed, Google is also moving its Russia-based employees elsewhere, according to the Wall Street Journal.
“The Russian authorities’ seizure of the Google Russia bank account has made it impossible to operate our office in Russia including hiring and paying employees located in Russia,
paying suppliers and vendors, and complying with ‘other financial obligations’,” a Google spokesperson said.
Google previously announced that it would halt the vast majority of its business operations in Russia,
following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The company has also stopped selling ads and cloud computing services in Russia,
while YouTube has blocked access to channels widely associated with Russian state-funded media because of their coverage of the invasion.
Russia’s military actions have put the country at odds with a number of social media platforms and other technology companies,
with both sides in the conflict seeking to influence its course by controlling the internet.
