UPDATE 3/4: Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky tweeted this morning confirming that "Airbnb is suspending all operations in Russia and Belarus." The decision follows many other companies cutting ties with the two countries in response to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
Airbnb is also seeing an influx of people booking stays in Ukraine they have no intention of traveling to, they are simply doing it to help the hosts.
Original post 3/1:Airbnb is offering free, short-term housing for up to 100,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine.
The company on Monday began contacting European leaders—starting in nearby nations of Romania, Poland, Hungary, and Germany—offering support for asylum seekers within their borders.
Lodgings are funded by Airbnb, Airbnb.org's Refugee Fund, and generous hosts. The firm also plans to work with governments to "best support the specific needs in each country, including providing longer-term stays."
"We know that hosts and guests on Airbnb around the world will be eager to stand up and assist this massive effort to help those fleeting Ukraine," the company wrote in a blog announcement, promising more details on how folks can support the initiative—including by providing free or discounted stays.
"We need help to meet this goal," CEO Brian Chesky tweeted on Monday, urging the wider Airbnb community to offer their homes to those in need. "If you can't host a refugee, you can still support by donating [online]," he continued.
Inspired by a single host who opened their home in 2012 to people impacted by Hurricane Sandy, the firm's nonprofit arm Airbnb.org is dedicated to facilitating temporary stays around the world in times of crisis. That includes evacuees, relief workers, refugees, asylum seekers, and, of course, frontline workers fighting COVID-19.
Airbnb.org most recently provided housing to 21,300 Afghan refugees, setting a new goal to provide free, temporary accommodation to another 20,000 displaced people from Afghanistan, Africa, the Middle East, Central and South America, and other regions. More than 4,000 donors have so far contributed to the Refugee Fund, created last year to support evacuees globally.