Google's local subsidiary in Russia filed for bankruptcy because Moscow's measures against the U.S. firm have made it impossible to do business, the firm said Friday.
"Google Russia has filed for bankruptcy," a Google spokesperson said in a statement, adding that "the Russian authorities’ seizure of Google Russia’s bank account has made it untenable for our Russia office to function, including employing and paying Russia-based employees, paying suppliers and vendors, and meeting other financial obligations.
"People in Russia rely on our services to access quality information and we’ll continue to keep free services such as Search, YouTube, Gmail, Maps, Android and Play available," the firm said.
The U.S. tech giant last month said it was going to file for bankruptcy. Russian news agency Interfax reported it filed its paperwork with the Moscow Arbitration Court on June 16.
Google is one of many Western technology companies that have pulled out of Russia or scaled down its activities there, in part due to Western sanctions and Russian counter-measures, and in part due to pressure from the Ukrainian government to throw up a "digital blockade" to stop Russia from accessing services.
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