MOSCOW: Russia’s prosecutor-general’s office on Wednesday said it had listed US private cyber security firm Recorded Future (RF) as an “undesirable” organisation, blaming it for involvement in “cyber-attacks” against Moscow.
The company based near Boston in the northeast of the United States, was acquired by Mastercard in September. With offices in Britain, Japan, Singapore and Sweden, it specialises in identifying cyber threats and helps firms identify and quantify IT risks across the world.
In a statement, the prosecutor’s office said RF employees “actively cooperate with the CIA and intelligence services of other countries and provide informational and technical support to the anti-Russian propaganda campaign undertaken by the West”.
Russia began compiling a list of “undesirable” organisations in 2015 and that list has now mushroomed to 194 entities.
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They include US think tank the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, as well as The Moscow Times newspaper, which is currently based in Amsterdam.
Being listed as “undesirable” means organisations are forced to close their Russian presence.
Russians who work for them, finance them or collaborate with them may also be subject to prosecution.
Leaders of an “undesirable” organisation can face up to six years in prison, while participating in the organisation’s activities can bring a four-year jail term.
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