A court in Moscow fines Alphabet's Google, in Friday, for "repeatedly failing to remove the illegal contents." The fine is said to be 7.2  Billion Roubles ( $98 Million).

This year, Moscow has stepped up its pressure on big companies in a campaign that critics see as an attempt by Russian authorities to tighten their grip over the internet, which they believe threatens individual and corporate freedom.

In an email, Google stated that it would analyze the court's decision before taking any further action.

On the same grounds, the court fined Meta Platforms 2 billion roubles ($27.15 million) later that day. According to Roskomnadzor, Russia's communication agency, Facebook and Instagram failed to remove two thousand pieces of content that violate Russian legislation, while Google kept 2,600 pieces of forbidden content.

Meta Platforms did not respond to a request for comment right away.

Russia has slapped tiny fines on international technology businesses throughout the year, but the penalties announced on Friday is the first time it has taken a percentage of the company's annual Russian turnover, significantly raising the punishment amount.

Russia has ordered corporations to remove posts promoting drug misuse and harmful pastimes, as well as information about improvised weapons and explosives, as well as posts by extremist or terrorist organizations.

Google is at war with Moscow on several topics, having spent more than 32 million roubles in fines for content violations this year.