Google stops selling ads in Russia after a regulator demanded it stop showing YouTube ads with 'false political information' about Ukraine

• Google told Insider it has suspended its ads business in Russia.
• This means no ads will appear on Google Search or YouTube in Russia.

Google announced Friday that it has stopped selling ads in Russia amid the country's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

"In light of the extraordinary circumstances, we're pausing Google ads in Russia. The situation is evolving quickly, and we will continue to share updates when appropriate," Google spokesperson Michael Aciman told Insider in a statement.

The move means that no ads will appear on Google Search or YouTube in Russia.

Russia launched a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

The ad sales decision comes a day after Russia's media regulator, Roskomnadzor, demanded that Google block ads on YouTube that contained what it called "false political information" about Ukraine, per a translation by The Wall Street Journal.

Insider's Lara O'Reilly reported that Ukrainian advertising professionals had formed a volunteer group creating ads targeted to Russia and Belarus, with the aim of countering misinformation about Russia's attack on Ukraine.

Earlier this week, Google disabled its Google Maps review feature for Russian businesses after reviews for restaurants and cafés in Russia were flooded with information about Ukraine and protests against the invasion.