ESET, the developer of digital security products, has announced the suspension of sales of new licenses for its products in Russia and Belarus, but leaves the Russian representative office and does not stop servicing existing users.

"ESET, the leading endpoint protection platform vendor headquartered in the European Union, announces today that it is stopping all new sales to any individuals, businesses and organizations in Russia and Belarus. Previously, sales to government and related entities had already been prohibited from 2016, when the Russian government introduced such tax rules, legislation and certification processes that favored local vendors," the report says.

At the same time, the brand's representative offices in Russia, the CIS countries and Georgia continue to operate as usual. As noted, the restrictions will not affect the service of existing users, as well as sales in the countries of representation outside of Russia and Belarus.

According to the document, all licenses previously purchased, as well as currently available for sale in the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, function in full, in accordance with the high standards of ESET. The existing customers can renew licenses for antivirus and other products without restrictions and use them in the future. In addition, additional purchase is available: expanding the number of nodes and switching to senior brand cybersecurity solutions. Technical support for users does not stop, expert consultations are carried out 24/7.

"We provide humanitarian support to the citizens of Ukraine. The ESET Foundation has created an initial fund of EUR 500,000 to help the citizens of Ukraine through a mixture of direct grant support and donations to NGOs (namely INTEGRA Foundation and UNICEF). As a company and community, ESET organized employee donations and encouraged its employees to actively volunteer in their communities by matching the time of its employees spent volunteering for humanitarian causes, and is also supporting our Ukrainian partner's staff members and their families with direct help and ongoing aid, including accommodation, cash, and in-kind donations," it said.

"By working closely with our Ukrainian partner's tech support specialists, we have extended customer support to ensure continuity for our customers on the ground. We are also upgrading all our Ukrainian business customers to our highest-grade product for free and extending licenses that are about to expire for all business and consumer customers in the country at no cost," they said.