Russia warns YouTube to 'stop spreading threats,' running 'anti-Russian ads'
Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG, NASDAQ:GOOGL) YouTube is on the receiving end of a warning from Russian regulator Roskomnadzor, as the regulator warned the video-sharing site on Friday to stop running "anti-Russian" ads and "spreading threats" against its citizens.
In a statement posted to its website, Roskomnadzor "demanded" that YouTube stop spreading threats against its citizens after it became aware of videos that have commercials to disable the railway communications of Russia and Belarus, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last month.
"The actions of the YouTube administration are of a terrorist nature and threaten the life and health of Russian citizens," a translated version of the statement read.
"The spread of such appeals clearly demonstrates the anti-Russian position of the American company Google LLC," the statement continued, adding that the videos should stop being distributed "as soon as possible."
Google (GOOG, GOOGL) shares were gaining slightly more than 0.5% to $2,709.06 in mid-day trading on Friday.
YouTube and Roskomnadzor could not be immediately reached for comment from Seeking Alpha.
Russia recently banned access to Meta Platforms' (FB) Facebook and Instagram in the country, citing restrictions on media, noting it had seen 26 cases of discrimination against Russian media and information resources by Facebook since October 2020.
As of this moment, YouTube has not been blocked in Russia, but the Roskomnadzor statement could be seen as a precursor to an eventual blockage.
Twitter's (TWTR) service has intermittently stopped working in Russia. The company said earlier this month it was looking into the issue, but it has not given an update.
Additionally, Russia's Foreign Ministry charged Meta and Google of "inciting war" and urged a system for accountability for the social media platforms as skirmishes between Russia and the companies wages on. 
On Friday, investment firm Tigress Financial raised its price target on Google parent company Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL), citing artificial intelligence as a way to drive progress at the tech giant.




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