The Intel microprocessor group and the Airbnb tourist rental platform announced on Thursday evening that they had suspended their activities in Russia and Belarus, in the wake of several giants of the American economy, from ExxonMobil to Apple via Boeing. and Ford, having distanced themselves from Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.
Read alsoIkea suspends activities in Russia and Belarus
Moscow sent international shock waves when it launched its armed forces in Ukraine on February 24, triggering a battery of severe economic sanctions from the United States and its European allies and the reactions of many companies with links to Russia. Automotive, entertainment, tech, finance: companies from all sectors, such as General Motors, Apple, Disney and WarnerMedia, have chosen in recent days to disengage, at least temporarily, from Russia. Several big names in tech such as Facebook, Google or Twitter have for their part taken measures to limit the influence of media close to Russian power.
“Intel condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and we have suspended all deliveries to Russia and Belarus. Our hearts go out to all those affected by this war.“, explains the group in a press release. Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of the Airbnb platform, which now displays the Ukrainian flag on his Twitter account, announces that his group “suspends all its activities in Russia and Belarus,without further clarification. The tourist rental platform announced on Monday that it would offer free short-term accommodation to up to 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion. These stays will be funded by the company, donors to an Airbnb fund for refugees and hosts.
Read alsoMSC Mediterranean Shipping suspends shipments to Russia
According to the UN, one million Ukrainian refugees have left their country since the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine. Airbnb’s initiative echoes the aid offered last August to Afghans seeking to flee their country after the Taliban took over. The site announced on Tuesday that it had managed to house more than 21,000 Afghan refugees free of charge.