Amid Ukraine crisis, Google pauses all ads across all products in Russia

Google has declared that it will stop all advertising in Russia. The company also enforced a “sensitive events policy” that prohibits marketing that aims to profit from conflict.

In the wake of Russia’s escalating aggression on Ukraine, Google has declared that it will stop all advertising in Russia. This change affects advertisements on Search, YouTube, and Display, and it comes into effect immediately.

In a statement, Google official stated, “In light of the extraordinary circumstances, we’re pausing Google ads in Russia. The situation is evolving quickly, and we will continue to share updates when appropriate.”

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Google has also enforced its “sensitive events policy,” which prohibits marketing that aims to profit from the conflict, with the exception of anti-war or protest advertisements.

YouTube, controlled by Google’s parent company Alphabet, had also declared that it will block state-owned media outlets os Russia such as RT and Sputnik-affiliated channels across Europe. The decision was made in response to the dissemination of disinformation by Russia’s state-owned media. Earlier, YouTube had already disabled the ability to monetize these channels.

Google then claimed that it has also removed RT and Sputnik-related mobile applications from its Play store. Meanwhile, Google Pay, the company’s payment service, has had its service curtailed in the nation, though it has not been fully barred. It also halted the transmission of live traffic data in Ukraine.

Apple made a similar action in response to concerns about the safety of Ukrainian citizens. Apple’s products are no longer available in Russia. Snap Inc, Snapchat’s parent firm, had made a similar announcement. Twitter will also start highlighting tweets from Russian state-affiliated news outlets more prominently on the site.