Life & Leisure

Airbnb suspends operations in Russia, Belarus

Washington, Mar 4 (EFE).- The American rental platform Airbnb announced Friday it has halted business in Russia and neighboring Belarus in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“Airbnb is suspending all operations in Russia and Belarus,” the company’s chief executive officer Brian Chesky tweeted.

The announcement comes days after its foundation, Airbnb.org, reported that it would offer free accommodation to 100,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine to neighboring countries such as Poland and Romania.

Chesky also highlighted a phenomenon in which members of the public are booking Airbnb rooms in Ukraine that they don’t intend to stay in as a way to send money to people in the country.

The suspension of Airbnb operations in Russia and Belarus, whose government is an ally of Moscow and has allowed the transit of Russian troops into Ukraine, adds to the wave of similar measures adopted by other American companies such as Boeing, Apple and Disney.

In just a week, more than 1 million people have fled the war Ukraine, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on Thursday. EFE

afs/tw

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