Russia fines Google for infringing on its intellectual property rights.

A Moscow court fined Google 7.2 billion roubles ($98 million; £73 million) for failing to erase information deemed unlawful in Russia on multiple occasions.

The objectionable content was not stated in the court's press service release.

This is the first time in Russia that a technological behemoth has been fined based on its yearly revenue.

Google informed the AFP news agency that it will analyze the court decision before taking any further action.

Russian authorities have upped their pressure on technology companies this year, accusing them of not adequately filtering their material and meddling in the country's internal affairs.

Hours after the Google judgement was released, Meta, Facebook's parent corporation, was fined 2 billion roubles for identical content-related violations.

Twitter was fined 3 million rouble earlier this week for similar offenses.

This is not Google's first run-in with Russian authorities on content rules. In May, Russia's media watchdog threatened to limit Google's speed if it did not remove 26,000 instances of illegal content relating to drugs, violence, and extremism.

President Vladimir Putin has advocated for the creation of a "sovereign internet," which would allow the government greater control over what its citizens may access. Critics have accused Russia of exploiting the effort to stifle free expression and online opposition.

The country's media regulator has blacklisted hundreds of websites related to imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny's campaign organizations, which have been labeled "extreme."

Google and Apple were also compelled to delete an app dedicated to Navalny's "Smart Voting" campaign, which provided users with tactical voting tips in order to topple Kremlin-aligned legislators.

Websites such as LinkedIn and Dailymotion have previously been blocked for refusing to cooperate with authorities, and six major providers of Virtual Personal Networks (VPNs), which allow users to hide their online activity, have been barred.

Russia also adopted a new regulation earlier this year mandating all new cellphones, PCs, and smart gadgets sold in the nation to be pre-installed with Russian-made software and apps.

According to the administration, the move would help Russian tech businesses compete with overseas rivals.