Czech-based multinational cybersecurity software company Avast has joined a growing number of US and European companies in suspending operations in Russia and Belarus due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine, Russia and Belarus collectively contributed around 1.5% of Avast's revenue in 2021.
“We are horrified at Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, where the lives and livelihoods of innocent people are at severe risk, and where all freedoms have come under attack.
With immediate effect, we have withdrawn the availability of all of our products from Russia and Belarus and suspended all marketing and sales operations in these countries. We do not take this decision lightly; we’ve offered our products in Russia for nearly 20 years and users in this country are an important part of our global community,” Ondrej Vlcek, Chief Executive Officer for Avast, wrote in a blog post.
The company said that it is “actively working to protect and sustain” employees in both Ukraine and Russia.
“We continue to pay their full salaries and have aided the temporary relocation, at their request, of some families who were in high-risk areas,” Avast said.
Since the beginning of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, more than 300 major companies across various industries severed ties with Russia, or significantly limited business operations in the country, including Microsoft, Meta, Apple, Google, IBM, Intel, Accenture, AMD, Nvidia, Mastercard, Visa, and others.
Cybersecurity Help’s statement on the critical situation in Ukraine
On February 24, people in many cities and towns across Ukraine woke up to the sounds of explosions and artillery fire, as the Russian Federation launched a full-scale invasion of the country. Such actions are unacceptable, political ambitions of any man aren’t worth of blood, tears, and destruction of millions of lives. We give our full support to the Ukrainian people in these hard times. No more war! Слава Україні!