Google Moves its Employees out of Russia

According to sources, Google has moved most of its employees out of Russia and will end the company's commercial presence in the country for the foreseeable future.

Most of Google's Russian employees have chosen to leave the country and continue working for Google outside of Russia, with many ending up in Dubai, where Google has major offices, sources said. Some employees have chosen to stay in Russia and leave the company, and Google will soon no longer have employees in Russia.

Alphabet Inc. started recommending moving employees in Russia out of the country after a court in late March froze Google's main bank account in the country. The court's bailiff then transferred money from the account, leaving Google without funds to pay salaries and other expenses. Google said in a Russian regulatory filing published on Wednesday that Google's Russian subsidiary will soon declare bankruptcy in the country.

After the war in Ukraine started and Western countries imposed sanctions on Russia, the country's media censors accused its YouTube video service of spreading disinformation and stimulating the movement of protests. In March, Google suspended most of its business in the country, including all advertising.