Google Faces Sanctions Dilemma With Pro-Russia YouTube Channels
- YouTube is popular among pro-Kremlin broadcasters and critics
- ‘We are dealing with a very robust Russian propaganda machine’
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With sanctions on Russia ramping up following its invasion of Ukraine, Google’s YouTube is under pressure to remove or cut commercial ties with some of its most prolific pro-Russian channels.
The online video giant has a massive reach in Russia and has long been a popular platform for both government critics and state-backed media. But now officials in the U.S., the U.K. and Europe are discussing restrictions that could target groups and people with huge audiences on the platform, creating a dilemma for the Alphabet Inc.-owned business.