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Kaspersky confirmed on October 11, 2024, that it was closing its direct UK branch operation and transferring the business to local partners. Fewer than 50 employees were reportedly affected. Existing contracts and services were expected to continue through those partners, with Kaspersky’s European team providing support. This was a UK operational restructuring—not evidence that the UK government banned Kaspersky or that every UK product and customer relationship ended.
What Kaspersky announced in the UK
The announcement, reported contemporaneously after confirmation from Kaspersky UK, described a closure of the UK branch or direct operation. Kaspersky said local partners would handle the UK business, while its European team would support customers and partners. The reported staffing impact was fewer than 50 employees. Contemporaneous coverage of the announcement attributes these details to Kaspersky.
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The wording matters. Closing a branch can leave products available through resellers, keep existing contracts in force, and move billing or technical support to another country. It does not automatically mean a complete withdrawal from the UK market.
Timeline: from the US prohibition to the UK restructuring
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| June 20, 2024 | The US Commerce Department announced a final determination prohibiting Kaspersky and affiliates from providing covered antivirus and cybersecurity products or services to US persons. BIS announcement |
| July 20, 2024 | New covered US agreements, including sales, licensing, resale and integration, became prohibited. Kaspersky said it began winding down US operations and eliminating US-based positions from this date. BIS implementation details · Kaspersky statement |
| September 29, 2024, 12:00 a.m. EDT | Kaspersky could no longer provide covered antivirus signature or codebase updates to US persons or operate the Kaspersky Security Network in the United States or on a US person’s IT system. BIS implementation details |
| October 11, 2024 | Kaspersky confirmed the UK branch closure and transfer of UK business to local partners. Report carrying the confirmation |
Was the UK closure caused by the US ban?
The sequence is clear, but a direct legal or operational cause has not been publicly established. The UK closure followed the US withdrawal by roughly three months during a period of heightened regulatory and geopolitical pressure. Kaspersky’s public explanation focused on transferring the UK operation to partners; it did not say that the US order legally forced the UK branch to close.
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Several business pressures could have influenced the decision, including reputational damage, higher compliance and staffing costs, and the opportunity to serve customers through a partner model. Those are reasonable interpretations of the timing, not confirmed statements of causation.
What the United States actually prohibited
The US measure was a government prohibition covering Kaspersky antivirus software and specified cybersecurity products and services. It also covered resale, integration and licensing by US persons. After September 29, 2024, the restrictions included antivirus signature and codebase updates and operation of Kaspersky Security Network for US persons.
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The Bureau of Industry and Security listed exceptions for purely informational or educational threat-intelligence, training, consulting and advisory services. BIS did not describe ordinary continued use of existing software as a criminal offense, but warned that continued use carried cybersecurity and related risks. The order applied to US persons and specified transactions; it did not automatically become a UK law.
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Why Washington acted—and Kaspersky’s response
The Commerce Department said Kaspersky’s Russian government ties and Russia’s offensive cyber capabilities created an unacceptable national-security risk. Its determination cited the possibility that Russian authorities could influence or direct Kaspersky’s operations. Read the department’s stated rationale.
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Kaspersky denied that its products or operations threatened US national security. The company called the decision geopolitical and said it was based on theoretical concerns rather than a comprehensive product-integrity assessment. It said it had offered independent third-party verification of its software, updates and threat-detection rules. Kaspersky’s response.
Neither position should be expanded into an unsupported claim that Kaspersky was proven to have conducted espionage.
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Did Kaspersky leave the UK market?
Available evidence does not establish a total UK market exit. The reported plan was a partner-led operation, and Kaspersky’s partner contact page continued to list Kaspersky UK and a London address when crawled. A directory listing cannot show the scale of current sales or support, but it is consistent with a reorganized presence rather than an immediate disappearance from Britain. Kaspersky partner contact page.
Companies House records also show that Kaspersky Lab UK Limited remained visible after the announcement. The company filed a confirmation statement on October 24, 2024; a compulsory-strike-off process began with a Gazette notice on March 4, 2025, and was discontinued on March 8, 2025. Those filings show administrative activity, not the size of the operating business, and they neither disprove the branch closure nor prove that the former operation continued unchanged. Companies House filing history.
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What UK customers should do
- Identify the contracting party. Check your invoice, subscription account or managed-service agreement to see whether Kaspersky, a reseller or another provider handles the relationship.
- Confirm renewals and billing. Ask who processes renewals, cancellations, refunds and payment changes after the partner transition.
- Verify support routes. Record the partner’s support contact and confirm how issues are escalated to Kaspersky’s European team.
- Check update and product status. Confirm that your exact product edition and licence continue receiving updates in the UK; availability may differ by product, platform, reseller and date.
- Plan for business continuity. Organisations should review data-processing terms, data location, renewal conditions, service-level commitments and a replacement plan before a contract expires.
Do not assume that a US-specific prohibition automatically applies to a UK resident. UK customers may still encounter separate app-store, payment-provider, reseller or procurement decisions, but those are distinct from the US legal order.
What happened to US customers?
Kaspersky stopped entering new US antivirus and cybersecurity sales contracts ahead of July 20, 2024 and said it would wind down US operations. After September 29, covered users could no longer receive Kaspersky antivirus signature or codebase updates or use Kaspersky Security Network as specified by BIS. US customers should therefore treat migration to another supported security product as a continuity issue, rather than assuming an existing installation will remain fully maintained.
Kaspersky also said Google removed its Android apps from Google Play in October 2024, attributing that action to the US restrictions. Kaspersky maintained that the US rules did not legally apply outside the United States while criticizing Google’s worldwide removal decision. Kaspersky’s account of the Google Play removal.
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The Bottom Line
Kaspersky closed its direct UK branch operation in October 2024 and shifted UK business to partners, but the evidence does not show a complete UK market exit or a UK government ban. The US prohibition was a separate, legally defined measure. UK customers should verify their own reseller, contract, renewal, support and update arrangements.
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