THOUSANDS of Brits have booked Airbnbs in Ukraine, despite not planning to travel there.
The bookings are actually part of a social media campaign to donate and support people currently in the country following the invasion by Russia.
The campaign, launched by social media user quentquarantino, has seen more than £1.5million donated directly to people living in the country.
Airbnb has since waived its commission on any Ukraine bookings.
More than 61,000 homes were booked over a 48 hours period, with the majority being from the US, while 3,000 were Canadian and 8,000 were from the UK.
The person who started the campaign has since written: "Yesterday I shared an idea to support Ukraine by booking rooms for rent on Airbnb.
"24 hours later, 100's of people are booking AirBnBs in Ukraine as a way to send immediate monetary assistance to people in hard-hit areas. The messages in response from the hosts are so moving."
Lots of people commented after they donated, with many homeowners responding.
One person wrote: "Please use these funds to whatever you need."
A different homeowner responded: "I promise to use your donation for charity and provide my apartment for free accommodation for those who lost their homes."
Someone else said: "Your help and your letter moved me to tears […] I invite you to our free country after the war."
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Travel experts have warned anyone wanting to donate directly in this way, to find homes listed with previous reviews to avoid falling victim to a scam.
If you want to donate in a different way, The Sun has launched its Ukraine Fund campaign where you can give as little as £3 with every penny donated to the Red Cross.
To donate just £3 you can text SUN£3 to 70141, or you can donate via The British Red Cross website.
Other charities including Oxfam are helping to provide food, water and warm clothing to people affected by the war in Ukraine.
People can donate to the United Nations Refugee Agency to provide emergency help for families displaced in Ukraine, while Unicef UK has raised more than £1million to support children affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
There are other ways to help including donating clothes and essentials too.
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