The Moscow City Court rejected Google’s appeals and upheld the decision of the Zamoskvoretsky District Court on two lawsuits filed by Tsargrad TV viewers seeking to unblock the infamous YouTube channel.
This is the first decision in a case involving Google and Tsargrad TV, which came into force, as per Forbes.
Now the U.S.-based company has seven days to restore public access to the YouTube channel Tsargrad TV, said Dmitry Magonya, a managing partner of Art de Lex, who represents the platform’s interests. Otherwise, Google could face fines, criminal persecution, and up to a ban on operations in Russia.
According to the attorney, Google could still file a cassation appeal, but this will not affect the term of compliance with court requirements.
In July 2020, YouTube blocked the account of the Russian propaganda platform Tsargrad TV without the option of recovery for violation of export regulations. According to Google, the asset’s owner, Konstantin Malofeev (oligarch and Russian Orthodox church sponsor – ed.) is on the U.S. sanctions list.
In October 2020, the channel’s viewers, Serhiy Petrov and Tetyana Gladyshevskaya, filed a lawsuit against Google demanding that the platform be unblocked. In July 2021, the Zamoskovretskiy District Court in Moscow granted their claims.
Google has appealed the decision, saying Petrov and Gladyshevskaya work for the channel or its affiliates. Dmytro Magonya has denied the allegation.
According to the Spiritual Front of Ukraine, last year the editor-in-chief of Tsargrad TV was fined for fake news about the coronavirus pandemic.
The infamous “Orthodox” resource Tsargrad TV was launched in 2015 by businessman Konstantin Malofeev, a billionaire who was involved in financing the Russian proxy forces of “LPR/ DPR” in eastern Ukraine. The channel professes an ultra-conservative “Orthodox” monarchical ideology, Putinism, supporting and circulating narratives and themes manufactured by Russian propaganda masterminds. From December 1, 2017, the resource ceased broadcasting and went online.
