For the first time in the history of the Russian Federation, Recorded Future has been officially banned from conducting any business operations within the country. This decision appears to take immediate effect and will remain in place until further notice from the Russian government.
As a result, Recorded Future has been added to Russia’s list of “Undesirable Organizations,” a designation created by the government in 2015. This means the company is prohibited from operating in Russia and may be required to cease all business activities in the country by early next year.
While this decision marks a setback for the security firm’s operations in Russia, as it will lose its customer base in the country, Christopher Ahlberg, the CEO of the Massachusetts-based company, has responded with a positive outlook. He has chosen to view the Russian government’s action as a form of recognition rather than a setback, emphasizing that it does not affect the company’s core business.
In a statement shared on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), Ahlberg expressed that the announcement from the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office would be treated as a compliment, attributing the move to retaliation against Recorded Future’s support of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
Since the beginning of Russia’s war in Ukraine, Recorded Future has been a strong supporter of Ukraine, contributing financial aid to safeguard critical infrastructure. In 2022, the company invested $10 million, followed by $20 million in 2023, to help defend Ukraine’s energy sector, nuclear plants, and other essential IT infrastructure against cyberattacks.
In retaliation for its support of Ukraine, Russia has now banned Recorded Future from operating within its borders.
For context, Recorded Future was acquired by Mastercard in September 2024 for $2.58 billion. The company is now enhanced with AI capabilities, leveraging the OpenAI GPT model to power its Intelligence Cloud platform.
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