On September 4, Google services including Search, Gmail, YouTube, Maps, and Drive went offline across the Caucasus, affecting users in Armenia and Georgia, as well as in Turkey and several Eastern European countries.
The outage began in the morning and left millions unable to access key platforms, with many encountering server error messages. Some users reported that connecting through VPNs briefly restored access, suggesting a regional infrastructure issue.
Disruptions were reported in Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Georgia, Croatia, Serbia, and beyond. While some services began to recover within hours, many users continued to face problems throughout the day.
Authorities in the affected regions confirmed the incident and requested clarification from Google. The company has not yet issued an official statement on the cause of the outage.
The disruption highlights the reliance of businesses and individuals on Google’s ecosystem, and the significant impact even regional service failures can have on communication, productivity, and daily life.