Google Removes 11,000 YouTube Channels Linked To China, Russia

Google has removed thousands of YouTube channels linked to China and Russia in the second quarter of 2025 as part of its investigation into “coordinated influence operation campaigns.”

Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) terminated nearly 11,000 channels between April and June 2025.

According to a report by CNBC, more than 7,700 of these channels were linked to China. They primarily posted content in Chinese and English that promoted the People’s Republic of China, supported President Xi Jinping, and commented on U.S. foreign affairs.

Google also terminated over 2,000 channels tied to Russia. These accounts shared content in support of Russia and were critical of Ukraine, NATO, and Western nations, the report said.

In May, Google removed 20 YouTube channels, 4 Ads accounts, and 1 Blogger blog associated with RT, the Russian state-controlled media outlet. RT had previously been accused of paying prominent conservative influencers to produce content ahead of the 2024 elections. YouTube had already blocked RT’s main channels in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Google also terminated influence operations linked to Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Israel, Romania, and Ghana. These campaigns often targeted political opponents and included narratives related to the Israel-Palestine war.

In the first quarter of 2025, Google removed over 23,000 accounts as part of similar investigations.

Separately, last week Meta announced it had removed over 10 million accounts for impersonating major content creators. The move was part of Meta’s broader effort to crack down on “spammy content.”