On Friday, Moscow considered the American decision to ban sales of Kaspersky anti-virus software as a typical move by Washington to “crush foreign competition with American products,” while the company confirmed that it is run by the private sector and has no links to the Russian government.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Kaspersky is a "very competitive" company in international markets, and that Washington's decision to restrict its sales is "the United States' preferred method of unfair competition."
In response to the US decision, Kaspersky said it believes the US decision was not based on a “comprehensive assessment of the integrity of Kaspersky’s products and services” and that its activities do not threaten US national security. It indicated that it would pursue legal means to maintain its operations.
The administration of US President Joe Biden announced yesterday, Thursday, that it would ban the sale of anti-virus software produced by the Russian company Kaspersky Lab in the United States, attributing this to what it said was the Kremlin’s influence over the company, which constitutes a major security risk.
US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told reporters while announcing the ban that “Russia has demonstrated that it has the ability and the intent to exploit Russian companies like Kaspersky to collect Americans’ personal information and use it as a weapon.”