Alphabet’s Google announced on Monday that it is deactivating AdSense accounts in Russia, stating that it will no longer be able to make payments to users of its advertising service in the country. AdSense allows website and content owners, including those on YouTube, to earn money by displaying ads managed by Google.

A Google spokesperson explained, “Due to ongoing developments in Russia, we will no longer be able to make payments to Russia-based AdSense accounts that have continued monetizing traffic outside of Russia. Consequently, these accounts will be deactivated effective August 2024.”

The company had previously sent a notice to the affected accounts, as seen by Reuters, informing them of the decision. The message indicated that July earnings would be paid out between August 21-26, provided there were no payment holds and the minimum payment thresholds were met.

While Google did not specify the exact developments leading to this decision, it has been observed that YouTube, its video hosting platform, has experienced slower speeds in Russia in recent weeks. Russian lawmakers have attributed the slowdown to Google’s failure to upgrade its equipment in the country since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a claim that Google and technology experts dispute.

Google has faced increasing pressure in Russia for several years, especially for not removing content that Moscow deems illegal. Despite this, YouTube has remained a critical platform for online freedom of expression as Russia has cracked down on independent Russian-language media.

In March 2022, Google stopped serving ads to users in Russia and paused the monetization of content that exploited, dismissed, or condoned Russia’s war in Ukraine. Since then, it has blocked over 1,000 YouTube channels, including those sponsored by the state, and removed more than 5.5 million videos.

Russian lawmaker Anton Gorelkin, deputy head of the parliamentary committee on information policy, accused Google of fostering a division in the online space between “us” and “them,” stating on Telegram that Google has “continued to segregate citizens according to nationality, completely closing off the possibility of monetization for Russians.”

Additionally, Russia passed a law in March banning any advertising on publications, including YouTube channels, by “foreign agents,” a label given to anti-Kremlin politicians, activists, and media.