Google has cut off business ties with Russian websites by deactivating AdSense accounts, according to local media reports out of Russia claiming that the search giant is notifying Russian webmasters that effective September it will no longer be paying out AdSense commissions on traffic impressions.
“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 monetising traffic outside of Russia," Google would later be quoted as saying.
“As a result, we will be deactivating these accounts effective August 2024."
While Google did not specify the “military operation” in Ukraine as the direct cause for the move, we are guessing that the decision was not a response to changes in the weather or loan interest rates, but rather Russia’s ongoing status as a pariah state due to its policies of invading its neighbors.
The move is the latest blow to Russian businesses as the Kremlin pursues its attempted invasion of Ukraine in hopes of expanding its reach of vassal states to rival that of the Soviet Union.
Ukraine has thus far resisted the invasion with the backing of NATO and, as a result, Russia has found itself on the receiving end of a number of economic sanctions that have affected it’s ability to do business with Western countries.
Since Russia first launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the conflict has been seen as a landmark in the evolution of cyberwarfare. Both sides of the conflict have made use of cyberwarfare tactics in an effort to undermine the other side’s physical and digital campaigns.
While much of the efforts have been limited to spreading propaganda and morale-busting tactics, there has been a limited amount of hacking effort dedicated to disrupting the boots-to-ground efforts or each side.
Earlier this year reports emerged that a Ukranian malware operation called “Fuxnet” managed to disrupt local utility operations in Russia by disabling operational technology networks and ICS systems at power stations.
