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Airbnb will provide free housing to 100,000 refugees fleeing Ukraine

The company, which has also stepped up to help Afghan refugees, is working with its nonprofit arm Airbnb.org.

Airbnb

Airbnb is working to provide housing to those fleeing Ukraine.

Photo: Lionel Bonaventure/Getty Images

Airbnb is working to offer free housing to up to 100,000 people fleeing Ukraine, Brian Chesky announced Monday.

"We need help to meet this goal," Chesky wrote in a Twitter thread. "The greatest need we have is for more people who can offer their homes in nearby countries, including Poland, Germany, Hungary and Romania." He linked to sites where people can sign up to host a refugee or donate to the effort.

"The situation is rapidly evolving, so stay tuned for more details in the coming days," Chesky added.

Airbnb has given relief to refugees before. The company provided free temporary housing to Afghan refugees as tens of thousands of people fled Kabul last summer. Airbnb announced earlier this month that it had met its goal of offering housing to 20,000 Afghan refugees, and it hopes to extend help to 20,000 more.

Meanwhile, other large tech companies are taking their own steps to respond to Russia's attack on Ukraine. Twitter, Facebook and YouTube turned off ads in one or both countries, while Elon Musk said Starlink internet satellites are now active in Ukraine. Twitter, Facebook and YouTube also outlined ways to protect user accounts in Ukraine.

Correction: This story was updated to clarify where social media ad bans took effect.

Sarah Roach

Sarah (Sarahroach_) writes for Source Code at Protocol. She's based in Boston and can be reached at sroach@protocol.com

russia-ukrainehousingrefugeesairbnb
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