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Google to suspend payments for Russian app developers, Russian IT portal claims

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Google to suspend payments for Russian app developers, Russian IT portal claims
Exterior of the Google office building in New York City, U.S. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Plexi Images/GHI/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Google Play will indefinitely halt processing payments to app developers with bank accounts in Russia starting Dec. 26, Habr, a Russian IT portal, reported on Dec. 12, sharing what it says is a message from Google.

Such a move would mark a continuation of restrictions imposed by Google in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

In the supposed letter to Russian app developers, Google Play announced it would block all user attempts to purchase paid apps and disable in-app purchases and subscription renewals in Russian apps.

Google plans to settle outstanding payments to Russian developers for user purchases before the suspension, with final settlements expected to be completed by Jan. 15, according to the letter.

This development comes amid escalating tensions between Google and Russian authorities. On Oct. 29, a Russian court fined the tech giant $2.5 decillion for allegedly blocking pro-Kremlin propaganda on YouTube.

A 100,000-ruble fine (now $960) was originally imposed in 2020, and under Russian law, the penalty has been multiplied weekly.

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Tim Zadorozhnyy

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Tim Zadorozhnyy is a reporter at The Kyiv Independent, covering foreign policy, U.S.-Ukraine relations, and political developments across Europe and Russia. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations and European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa, working there for two years from the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. After relocating to Warsaw, he spent a year and a half at the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, initially as a news anchor and later as managing editor.

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