People say they're using Ukrainian Airbnbs to send money to locals

The internet's found a new use for Airbnb.

Scores of people on Twitter and Facebook say they're employing a unique method to financially support Ukrainians in need: booking, but not staying in, local Airbnbs. The idea began picking up steam early Thursday, as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continued, with numerous people sharing what they say are screenshots of their communication with Ukrainian Airbnb hosts online.

"HOW TO HELP - just booked a Kiev AirBnb for 1 week, simply as a means of getting money directly into the hands of Kiev residents," read one such tweet. "It's really cheap and can make a small difference right now." Kiev is the Russian spelling of Ukraine's capitol, Kyiv.

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We reached out to Airbnb in an effort to determine if it's seeing an uptick in this type of activity, and if it has waived guest and host fees within Ukraine.

The company confirmed via email that it is indeed waiving guest and host fees on Ukrainian bookings "at this time," but did not directly respond to our other questions. A spokesperson did point us to a Feb. 28 blog post, where Airbnb said it would offer free housing for "up to" 100,000 refugees fleeing the country.

"We appreciate the generosity of our community during this moment of crisis," read the spokesperson-provided statement in part.

Several Twitter users who claim to have booked Ukrainian Airbnbs highlighted the lack of fees.

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The idea of average people sending direct financial assistance to Ukrainians is not new, and in recent days cryptocurrency donations have poured into the country. This latest approach, which utilizes Airbnb's established host and payments network, demonstrates how existing technology can be repurposed in times of need.

There are, of course, more traditional ways to help Ukrainians in need.

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It also, at least in theory, helps donors avoid the scores of scammers attempting to take advantage of people's generosity. However, the Airbnb platform itself is practically synonymous with scams and fake listings (though the company is working on that) — so this approach isn't without risk.

Even so, as the war in Ukraine shows no signs of abating, people have made clear that they're willing to bear any financial risk associated with booking Ukrainian Airbnbs — especially if it helps actual Ukrainians who are stuck dealing with the different, and altogether much more serious, risk to their lives.