Google's Big Trouble: A $129 Million Freeze in France

Russia is making a bold move against Google. They've frozen about $129 million of Google's assets in France. This is unusual because Russia is trying to use the law to go after a big Western company's money abroad. It's all part of a bigger fight over frozen Russian assets in Europe. Google Russia is behind this. They're using a court-appointed manager to go after shares owned by Google International in France. The French authorities have put a temporary hold on these shares. This freeze is based on some Russian court rulings from 2024 and 2025. These rulings say Google made an illegal payment back in 2021. This isn't the first time Google has had trouble in Russia. They've been fined multiple times. Google Russia even filed for bankruptcy in 2022 after the government seized their bank account. This was around the time Russia invaded Ukraine. Google has a chance to fight back. They can challenge the freeze in court. If the freeze becomes permanent, the money could be used to pay off the fines from the Russian courts. This whole process could take up to a year and a half. This situation shows how complicated things can get between big companies and governments. It's also a sign of the growing tension over money and power between Russia and the West.