Thousands book Airbnbs in Ukraine to support locals amid Russian invasion

Thousands of people have booked Airbnbs that they don’t intend to use to support Ukrainians amid the ongoing Russian invasion of the country, according to social media posts and the company’s chief executive officer, Brian Chesky.

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Officials with Airbnb waived the company’s guest and host fees on new bookings in Ukraine and noticed a grassroots movement encouraging people to book reservations to get money to people in the country. On Wednesday and Thursday, more than 61,000 nights were reserved in Ukraine from around the world, including more than 34,000 nights booked by Americans, according to the company.

In a statement on Twitter, Chesky said the reservations amounted to “$1.9 (million) going to hosts in need.”

The idea to book reservations through Airbnb to support Ukrainians began online, according to CNN, where supporters encouraged people to reserve rooms rented out by individuals as soon as possible. According to Airbnb, hosts get paid about 24 hours after guests check in to their rentals.

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Salt Lake City resident Sarah Brown, who owns three properties with her husband that are listed on Airbnb, told NPR that she booked a stay in Kyiv and two more stays in smaller cities to help get aid to Ukrainian residents. The first booking was made with Ekaterina Martiusheva, who told NPR that aside from the Airbnb funds “we do not have any income.”

“We do not have any right to ask our country to help us, because all the country’s resources are for the war and for the victory,” she said.

Brown told NPR that the booking made her feel “like I have so much more skin in the game.”

“I am so heartbroken for Ukraine, but I don’t know anyone there. And now I care so much about this woman and what happens to her,” she said, according to NPR. “It’s not happening to someone happening far away — it’s happening to people we now know.”

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New York City resident Anne Margaret Daniel told CNN that she booked a two-night stay at an apartment in Old Kyiv after seeing posts on social media urging people to help Ukrainians through Airbnb. With her booking, she said she included a message that read, “I hope that you, and your lovely apartment, are safe and that this horrible war is over ... and Ukraine is safe. … I will come and see you one day, please count on it, and will stay with you when we visit. God bless you and God be with you, your city, your country.”

The Airbnb’s host, Olga Zviryanskaya, responded, “We will be glad to see you in the peaceful city of Kyiv and hug,” according to CNN.

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Zviryanskaya told the news network that she and her three children fled Kyiv after Russian forces began to descend on the city. She added that she is now allowing people who have no way to leave the area to stay in her apartment. She said messages she’s gotten from strangers have been comforting.

“We are alive, but we want to live as before,” she said, according to CNN. “It’s very scary in Kyiv. Every word of support is valuable, not necessarily money.”

Airbnb has also announced other initiatives to help Ukrainians in need amid the ongoing conflict. On Monday, Chesky announced that the company will offer free, short-term housing for as many as 100,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine, funded by Airbnb, donors to the Airbnb.org Refugee Fund and Airbnb hosts.

The company has also suspended its operations in Russia and Belarus in response to the invasion.

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