Mike Segar/Reuters
- Airbnb is suspending operations in Russia and Belarus.
- CEO Brian Chesky made the announcement on Twitter.
- Airbnb joins the likes of Apple, General Motors, Ikea, and Shell in pulling out of or suspending operations in Russia.
Airbnb is suspending operations in Russia and Belarus.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, whose verified Twitter account currently displays an icon of the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag, made the announcement on Twitter late on Thursday evening.
—Brian Chesky 🇺🇦 (@bchesky) March 4, 2022
Chesky previously announced that Airbnb would host up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees fleeing war.
“Airbnb and Airbnb.org are working with our Hosts to house up to 100,000 refugees fleeing from Ukraine, for free,” Chesky tweeted on Monday.
—Brian Chesky 🇺🇦 (@bchesky) February 28, 2022
Airbnb joins a host of other companies — including Shell, BP, Apple, and General Motors — who have suspended activities in Russia since the country invaded Ukraine on February 24. Expedia on Wednesday confirmed to Insider that it has ceased the sale of travel into and out of Russia. Ikea announced on March 3 that it is closing all 17 stores in Russia and suspending production in the country.
One million people have fled Ukraine since Russia began its unprovoked invasion of the country, per the top refugee official of the United Nations.
This is not the first time Airbnb has pledged to house people displaced by war and violence. In August, Airbnb said it would temporarily house up to 20,000 Afghan refugees worldwide.
Airbnb did not immediately reply to Insider’s request for comment.
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