No, Airbnb isn’t banning people from Belarus and Russia from using its service

• Airbnb said it isn’t banning Russian or Belarusian nationals from making reservations on its platform.
• It is restricting users who are in Belarus and Russia from making new reservations, a spokesperson said.
• Airbnb suspended operations in Russia and Belarus a month ago.

Airbnb isn’t banning Russian or Belarusian nationals from making reservations on its platform.

On Tuesday, a Russian-language announcement on Airbnb’s website sparked anger and confusion on Twitter when some users highlighted a statement that was translated to “guests from Russia and Belarus can no longer make reservations on Airbnb.”

Some users interpreted the statement to mean the policy applies to all Russian and Belarusian nationals, no matter where they are based. In particular, it raised questions about whether dissidents and refugees could face difficulties escaping from these countries.

An Airbnb spokesperson told Insider the policy “only impacts those who are inside of Russia and Belarus” and that the policy was part of the announcement made a month ago, in which the company announced the suspension of operations in both countries.

Airbnb said at the time it would “restrict users in Belarus and Russia from making new reservations as guests.”

The misinterpretation appears to stem from a translation issue, as detailed by Russian speakers in a Twitter thread.

—Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) April 4, 2022

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said on February 28 that the company would provide short-term accommodation to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees fleeing war.