People attend a rally to demand authorities allow opposition candidates to run in the upcoming local election in Moscow, Russia August 10, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
August 11, 2019
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s state communications watchdog said on Sunday it had asked Google <GOOGL.O> to stop advertising “illegal mass events” on its YouTube video platform.
Tens of thousands of Russians staged what observers called the country’s biggest political protest for eight years on Saturday, defying a crackdown to demand free elections to Moscow’s city legislature.
The watchdog, Roscomnadzor, said Russia would consider it interference in its sovereign affairs and a hostile influence should Google fails to respond to the request.
(Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
