“Starting from July 20, 2024, Kaspersky will gradually wind down its U.S. operations and eliminate U.S.-based positions,” Kaspersky told in a statement to BleepingComputer. The company also confirms that it’ll lay off its U.S. based employees, which by the estimates of cybersecurity journalist Kim Zetter, will be less than 50 employees in the U.S.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned twelve Kaspersky Lab executives on June 21 for their involvement in Russia’s technology sector. These sanctions freeze their U.S. assets and prevented access until lifted.

The US Commerce Department stated that the use of Kaspersky’s software “posed a national security risk” because of the Russian government’s “offensive cyber capabilities and its ability to influence or control Kaspersky’s operations.”

Kaspersky affirmed its commitment to continue operating, stating that its “key priority remains the same — to protect our customers in any country from cyberthreats.”