Airbnb suspends Russia, Belarus operations amid Ukraine war

Airbnb Inc is suspending its operations in Russia and Belarus, Chief Executive Officer Brian Chesky said in a tweet Thursday evening.

The move comes days after Chesky said that “all things are on the table” with regard to responses to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The accommodation-sharing company’s first step was to volunteer to house up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, and it has reached out to 14 governments for collaboration. Belarus has been an isolated ally of Russia in its military action.

Russia has more than 90,000 active short-term rentals across various platforms, according to data provided by market research firm AirDNA. Minsk, the capital of Belarus, has just over 1,800 active short-term rentals. Chesky had earlier said that sanctions imposed by the U.S. and other countries had made business within Russia difficult.

The United Nations estimates that as many as four million people could eventually leave Ukraine to escape the invasion.