Airbnb suspends all its operations in Russia and Belarus

On the ninth day of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Airbnb shut down all operations in Belarus and Russia during the bombing of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

US-based Airbnb has decided to suspend all operations in Belarus and Russia,  Kyiv Independent reported, citing its CEO Brian Chesky. The CEO shared the news with a tweet on March 3 saying, "Airbnb is suspending all operations in Russia and Belarus." 

In addition, on Thursday, US President Joe Biden imposed new sanctions on eight members of the Russian elite and their families, including Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The United States has also imposed visa restrictions on 19 oligarchs and 47 of their families and relatives.

The USA and Europe have launched a series of sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. These sanctions will prevent Moscow from accessing its hundreds of billions of dollars of reserves worldwide and will cut the state revenue from oil and natural gas.