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Google said on Thursday night that it had suspended all advertising in Russia after the country’s internet regulator demanded that the company stop showing what it considered ads displaying false information about Russia’s "invasion of Ukraine", The New York Times reported.

Google said it took the rare step of pausing its advertising business in the country, including search, YouTube and display marketing. The move came a few days after the company suspended advertising of content produced by Russian state media. Google said it had already blocked ads related to the conflict because it did not want people to take advantage of the crisis for financial gain.

“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,” the company said in a written statement.

Earlier on Thursday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor had demanded that Google stop showing online video ads with what it called false political information about Ukraine. It accused YouTube, a unit of Google, of running advertising campaigns to misinform Russians about current events.