Google's Russian subsidiary recognised as bankrupt by court - RIA

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Google's Russian subsidiary has been recognised as bankrupt by a Moscow court, the RIA news agency reported on Wednesday, over a year after proceedings began.

Google declined to comment.

Alphabet Inc.'s Russian unit filed for bankruptcy in summer 2022 after authorities seized its bank account, making it impossible to pay staff and vendors. Free services, including search and YouTube, have continued operating.

Moscow has repeatedly clashed with foreign technology companies over content, censorship, data and local representation in a simmering dispute that intensified after Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine in February 2022.

Google's Russian subsidiary has been under pressure in Russia for failing to delete content Moscow deems illegal and for restricting access to some Russian media on YouTube.

However, while the Kremlin has banned some platforms including Twitter and Facebook, it has so far stopped short of blocking access to Google's services.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Kevin Liffey)