YouTube removes over 10,000 China and Russia-linked propaganda accounts
On July 21, 2025, Google reported details about influence operations on YouTube. According to the report, in the second quarter of 2025 (April to June) alone, it found and removed approximately 11,000 propaganda-related channels and accounts.
TAG Bulletin: Q1 2025
YouTube wipes out propaganda channels linked to China, Russia, others
According to Google, there were more than 7,700 China-related YouTube channels and more than 2,000 Russia-related channels during the period in question, each of which contained content supporting their own government and criticizing the West.
The list of activities confirmed by Google is as follows. In addition, it is not clear what content was considered problematic in any of them, and there is a lack of transparency.
◆April
- Removed 43 Turkey-related YouTube channels that shared content in Turkish language supporting the Turkish Victory Party.
・Removed six Russia-related YouTube channels that shared content in Russian and Ukrainian that supported Russia and criticized Ukraine.
・Removed 37 Russia-related YouTube channels that shared content in both English and Russian that supported Russia and criticized Ukraine.
- Removed 22 Russia-related YouTube channels that shared content in English, Polish, Russian and Ukrainian that supported Russia and was critical of Ukraine, Poland and the West.
Removed eligibility to appear in Russia-related Google News and Discover from one domain, which shared Russian-language content about Eastern European culture and society.
- Removed 12 Russia-related YouTube channels that shared content in Farsi, Russian, and Indonesian that supported Russia, Iran, and China, and was critical of NATO and the West.
・Removed three Russia-related YouTube channels and one Blogger blog that shared content in English and French that supported Russia and was critical of Ukraine and the West.
Removed 1,045 Russia-related YouTube channels and removed two domains from eligibility to appear in Google News and Discover. They were linked to a Russian consulting firm and shared content in Russian that was pro-Russia and critical of Ukraine and the West.
Removed four Russia-related YouTube channels that were linked to Russian state-sponsored groups and shared content in Russian that supported Russia and was critical of Ukraine.
Removed 12 Romania-related YouTube channels, 1 advertising account, 1 AdSense account, and removed 9 domains from eligibility to appear in Google News and Discover for sharing Romanian-language content supporting certain Romanian political parties.
Removed eligibility to appear in Google News and Discover related to Iran from two domains that shared Arabic content critical of the US, Israel and the West.
Removed 12 Iran-related YouTube channels that shared Arabic content supporting the Iranian government and Palestine and criticizing Israel.
Removed one advertising account related to Ghana and removed one domain from eligibility to appear in Google News and Discover. It was associated with a digital marketing company and was sharing English-language content about candidates in the Ghanaian presidential election.
Removed 356 Azerbaijan-related YouTube channels that shared content in Azerbaijani language supporting Azerbaijan and criticizing critics of the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments.
・Removed four China-related YouTube channels that shared content in English and Chinese that supported China and criticized the Philippines.
Removed 1,545 China-related YouTube channels that shared content in both Chinese and English about China and US foreign policy.
◆May
Removed 20 Russia-related YouTube channels, 4 advertising accounts, and 1 Blogger blog that were linked to Russian state-run media outlet RT and shared content in Spanish, English, Serbian, and Russian that supported Russia and was critical of Ukraine and the West.
・Removed six China-related YouTube channels and one advertising account that shared English-language content in support of China and President Xi Jinping.
Removed one Russia-related YouTube channel that was associated with a Russian state-sponsored group and shared content in Russian that supported Russia and was critical of Ukraine.
Removed 507 Russia-related YouTube channels that were linked to a Russian consulting firm and shared content in Russian that supported Russia and was critical of Ukraine and the West.
Removed 457 Azerbaijan-related YouTube channels that shared content in Azerbaijani language supporting Azerbaijan and criticizing critics of the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments.
Removed 3,592 China-related YouTube channels that shared content in Chinese and English about China and US foreign policy.
◆June
- Removed two Russia-related YouTube channels that shared content in Spanish and English that supported Russia and criticized Ukraine and the EU.
Removed two Russia-related YouTube channels that were linked to Russian state-sponsored groups and shared content in Russian that supported Russia and was critical of Ukraine.
Removed 392 Russia-related YouTube channels that were linked to a Russian consulting firm and shared content in Russian that supported Russia and was critical of Ukraine and the West.
- Removed four Israeli-related YouTube channels that shared pro-Israel and anti-Palestinian content in English, French, German, Italian and Greek.
Removed 228 Azerbaijan-related YouTube channels that shared content in Azerbaijani that supported Azerbaijan and criticized critics of the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments.
Removed 2,598 China-related YouTube channels and removed one domain from eligibility to appear in Google News and Discover for sharing content in Chinese and English about China and US foreign policy.
Google has previously fired protesters, citing that it is a violation of company policy to 'physically disrupt other employees' work or prevent employees from entering our facilities.' Since the protesters had criticized Google's cooperation with Israel, Google has sometimes been seen as pro-Israel and anti-Palestine. However, this report shows that Google has removed both content that supports Israel and criticizes Palestine, and the opposite.
Google deleted approximately 23,000 accounts in the first quarter of 2025.
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