Airbnb Checks Out of Russia

A traditional yurt on a pasturing site along Russia’s border with Mongolia. A remote cabin in the Russian arctic advertising a view of the northern lights. Or an 18th century manor house on the outskirts of St. Petersburg, complete with crystal chandeliers and a 25-hectare garden. More than two decades after communism, the San Francisco rental site Airbnb came to Russia in 2012. It promised to usher in the era of the sharing economy—replacing Soviet-era kommunalkas with hipster apartments.
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