On Tuesday, a Russian-language announcement on the Airbnb website sparked anger and confusion on Twitter, with some users highlighting the statement, which was translated as “guests from Russia and Belarus can no longer book on Airbnb.”
Some users have interpreted the statement to mean that the policy applies to all citizens of Russia and Belarus, regardless of where they live.
not only has @Airbnb left Russia and Belarus, but it’s now banned Russian and Belarusian nationals from using its service anywhere in the world. https://t.co/h6cSkedn8k
— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) April 4, 2022
An Airbnb spokesperson said insiderthat the policy “applies only to those in Russia and Belarus”, and that this policy was part of statementsmade a month ago, in which the company announced suspension of operations in both countries.
At the time, Airbnb said it would “restrict users in Belarus and Russia from making new bookings as guests.”
The misinterpretation appears to be related to a translation issue, as reported by Russian speakers on a Twitter thread.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said on February 28 that the company will provide short-term housing for 100,000 Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war. But, as the Athens News found out, this was the wish of the company, it was not financially supported and concerned only certain European countries.
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