Google bans Russians from Adsense

Google is shutting down Adsense accounts in Russia, preventing Russian content creators from monetizing their YouTube videos.

On August 12th, Google updated its Google Publisher Policy, by adding that due to “ongoing developments in Russia,” the company is pausing the ability of Russia-based publishers to monetize with AdSense, AdMob, and Ad Manager.

It’s a new development in Google’s attempts to cast sanctions on Russians since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. On February 26th, 2022, in the wake of the full-blown invasion of Ukraine, Google paused monetization of content linked to Russian Federation state-funded media.

On March 3rd, the same year, Google temporarily paused ads serving users located in Russia. The ban was followed by a ban on March 10th on creating new Russian accounts on AdSense, AdMob, and Google Ad Manager. Additionally, the company paused ads on Google properties and networks globally for advertisers based in Russia.

On March 23rd, the company paused the monetization of content that exploits, dismisses, or condones the war. The tech giant also has blocked more than 1,000 YouTube channels, including state-sponsored news, and over 5.5 million videos.

The ban could mean huge losses for Russia-based creators, as they have generated substantial revenue. According to Reuters, the notice to the users stated that their July earnings will be disbursed around the 21st–26th of August, assuming users have “no active payment holds and meet the minimum payment thresholds."

"Due to ongoing developments in Russia, we will no longer be able to make payments to Russia-based AdSense accounts that have been able to continue monetizing traffic outside of Russia," a Google spokesperson told Reuters. "As a result, we will be deactivating these accounts effective August 2024."

Google bans were not met without a response, as Russia also tried to restrict foreign online advertising. In February 2024, Russia’s government passed a law prohibiting all Russian citizens and companies from placing advertisements on websites, blogs, social networks, or any other resources published by a "foreign agent."

With penalties reaching 300,000 roubles ($3,262), the law has affected content creators seeking to monetize their work using foreign platforms.