Google pauses ad sales in Russia over Ukraine invasion


Google is pushing pause on all ad sales in Russia amid the invasion of Ukraine.
The company confirmed in a statement to The Verge it would be "pausing Google ads in Russia" due to "the extraordinary circumstances" in Ukraine.
"The situation is evolving quickly, and we will continue to share updates when appropriate," a spokesperson said.
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Google previously announced that it would block Russian state media channels across Europe, and Russian state media outlets were also banned from running ads. Google, according to The New York Times, had also blocked ads related to the conflict in Ukraine.
The decision to suspend all ad sales in Russia, though, came after Russia demanded Google stop running ads it claimed contained "false political information" about the Ukraine invasion, according to The Wall Street Journal. The country's communications watchdog claimed YouTube was running "advertising campaigns to misinform the Russian audience" and "aimed at creating a distorted perception of current events."
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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