@arstechnica "For its part, Kaspersky and its representatives have always denied the US government's allegations."
Unfortunately, the problem isn't "does the Russian government currently influence Kaspersky." The problem is that it can at any given time without warning.
As a side note, "you can trust me because I say so" isn't very good. Of course if they WERE influenced they would be required to say that they weren't and it's highly unlikely they would refuse (and fall out a window.)