New Telegraph

Ukraine crisis: Google bars Russian state-funded media from receiving money for ads

…as gas pipeline, oil terminal on fire after overnight attacks
*Hackers take down Chechnya govt site

Google has said it is pausing monetisation of Russian state-funded media and barring the outlets from running ads across its services, according to a statement seen by Reuters.

Russia’s state-owned media outlet RT and other channels will be barred from receiving money for ads on their websites, apps and YouTube videos, similar to a move by Facebook after the invasion of Ukraine.

Citing “extraordinary circumstances,” Google’s YouTube unit said it was “pausing a number of channels’ ability to monetise on YouTube.”

These included several Russian channels affiliated with recent sanctions, such as those by the European Union.

Ad placement is largely controlled by YouTube.

Google added later that it was also barring Russian state-funded media outlets from using its ad technology to generate revenue on their own websites and apps.

In addition, the Russian media will not be able to buy ads through Google Tools or place ads on Google services such as search and Gmail, spokesman Michael Aciman said.

“We’re actively monitoring new developments and will take further steps if necessary,” Aciman said.

On Wednesday, the European Union unveiled sanctions on individuals such as Margarita Simonyan, whom it called RT’s editor-in-chief and “a central figure” of Russian propaganda.

Videos from affected media will also come up less often in recommendations, YouTube spokesperson Farshad Shadloo said. He added that RT and several other channels would no longer be accessible in Ukraine after a Ukrainian government request.

Meanwhile, a blaze at an oil terminal in the Ukrainian town of Vasylkiv, about 30km, or 18 miles, southwest of the capital, Kyiv, overnight.

The town’s mayor, Natalia Balasinovich, said Russian missiles hit the oil storage area southwest of the air base’s main runway in a video posted online. The National News Agency of Ukraine later confirmed the reports.

Photographs and video posted online showed large flames rising under the night sky.

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the the Ministry of Internal Affairs, said on Telegram.

“The missile attack was carried out on the Vasilkovskaya oil depot of the KLO company. Rescuers have already left for the scene of the tragedy. Most likely, there were no casualties. It will burn for a long time. The environmental damage will be colossal.”

The mayor of Vasylkiv, Natalia Balasinovich, also confirmed that rockets hit the oil depot, and a strong fire started.

The blaze prompted authorities to urge residents to close their windows to avoid breathing in smoke and harmful substances.

A natural gas pipeline was also blown up in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, after a Russian attack, the Ukrainian state service of special communications said.

A mushroom-shaped explosion was shown in a video it posted on the Telegram messaging app.

It was not immediately clear how important the pipeline was and whether the blast could disrupt gas shipments outside the city or the country.

And in a related development, hacker group Anonymous claims they have disabled Chechnya’s government website 12 hours after the Russia-allied region said it was sending troops into Ukraine. A BBC check found the site currently shows a 404 Host Not Found error page.

Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a constituent republic of Russia. Its leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, is a close ally of Vladimir Putin.

Anonymous declared a “cyber war” against Russia on Friday, and has launched several cyber attacks on Russian government websites, including taking down the Russian Ministry of Defence website for a few hours.

State media outlet Russia Today or RT.com has also confirmed that its sites were slowed down, with some disabled, in an attack on Friday.

*Courtesy: Reuters & BBC

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