MOSCOW (AFP) – Russia-based global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky announced Tuesday it would wind down US operations after Washington sanctioned its senior officials and banned the sale of its popular antivirus software.
Kaspersky said it made the “sad but difficult decision” after almost 20 years of operating in the United States, because “business opportunities (there) are no longer viable”.
“Starting from July 20, 2024 Kaspersky will gradually wind down its US operations and eliminate US-based positions,” the company said in a statement sent to AFP.
The company will be able to carry out some activity until September 29.
Kaspersky was founded in 1997 by Russia-born Eugene Kaspersky. One of Russia’s few IT firms to have been successful internationally, it has over 400 million product users.
Kaspersky studied at a KGB academy and then worked for the defence ministry.
The decision comes after the US Department of Commerce on June 20 announced a ban on selling and distributing Kaspersky products in the US, the company added.
Kaspersky vowed to keep operating, saying its “key priority remains the same – to protect our customers in any country from cyberthreats”.
