NEW YORK: PayPal said on Thursday that its users will now be able to send money to Ukrainians, both in the war-ravaged country as well as those now refugees across Europe.
Previously, people in Ukraine were only able to use the payments platform to send money out of the country.
They will now be able to receive funds, as well as make transfers within Ukraine and abroad.
It's the latest measure by banks and other financial services companies looking for ways to help Ukrainians impacted by Russia's invasion.
PayPal cut off Russia from its services last week.
Since the war began, Americans and other supporters of Ukraine have been looking for ways to financially support Ukrainian refugees as well as those still in the country.
People have booked Airbnbs in Kyiv or sent cryptocurrencies to Ukrainians.
Money transfer companies like MoneyGram and Western Union have seen surges in demand as people look for ways to send money to friends and family in the region.
PayPal, which is based in San Jose, California, said it will waive fees on transfers of funds to Ukrainian accounts, or for anyone receiving funds in Ukrainian accounts until June 30.
The funds in a PayPal account can be then transferred into the user's local bank or used as a virtual Visa or Mastercard, which is more common in Europe than in the US.
PayPal's Xoom international remittance service is also waiving its transaction fees, the company said.
Donations intended to assist those both defending and fleeing Ukraine are pouring into a Detroit-area warehouse.
Dozens of volunteers have been sorting, packing and shipping items ranging from diapers and feminine hygiene products to medical supplies and non-lethal personal protective gear since the beginning of the Russian invasion last month.
"When you watch news and you see all those horrific acts that's going on in Ukraine, you just feel helpless and depressed in a way," said Nazarii Semchyshyn, who is helping to coordinate the effort.
"But as soon as you start doing something, collecting things or donating, you feel better about yourself and you feel that you're making a difference."
Semchyshyn is with Standard Trucking, which is owned by a Ukrainian American who has allowed volunteers to use the logistics company's warehouse and loading dock in the Detroit enclave of Hamtramck.
Two air shipments of about 3000 pounds (1360.
78 kilograms) each have been sent to Poland so far, said Semchyshyn, who expects an even bigger shipment to go out this weekend.
All items are donated, as is the cost of the shipments, he said.
Phil Weipert brought a carful of blankets, courtesy of the Kiwanis Club chapter in South Lyon, Michigan, on Thursday.
The group had the 100-150 blankets in storage, because hospitals and health-care facilities would not accept them due to the pandemic, said Weipert, who added that "we saw the news stories about children (in Ukraine) needing blankets to be covered from falling glass."
Semchyshyn said the first donations started coming in late last month and were mainly supplied by those in the Ukrainian-American community.
But once word started to spread, the donations came quickly, he said.
Rocky Raczkowski, a military veteran and former state legislator, was among those sorting and packing inside the vast warehouse on Thursday.
"I'm really heartened by the fact that so many people in metropolitan Detroit (are) pouring out so much to help the Ukrainian community," he said.
The shipments are being sent to Poland, where the items will be redistributed, according to Semchyshyn, who said volunteers will keep at it "hopefully until the end of the conflict."