Dancing With the Stars professional dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy, 42, is safely back in the United States after sharing to his Instagram that he was in his home country of Ukraine during the ongoing Russian invasion.
After recently posting his long, sleepless journey to escape Ukraine to Poland, Chmerkovskiy was finally able to catch a flight from Warsaw to Los Angeles where he was tearfully welcomed by his wife, DWTS dancer Peta Murgatroyd.
According to Entertainment Tonight, Chmerkovskiy was overwhelmed with emotion stating, “I just don’t want to resent peace somewhere else because of what I just saw, that’s the reality. I don’t know really what to say right this second.”
He continued to discuss with the press sharing his gratefulness to be back with his family in the U.S., the welcome support of Poland and the Polish people, and the strength of his fellow Ukrainian people. “The reason why Ukraine is standing right now is because of the Ukrainian people, and the fact that the entire world is helping,” said Chmerkovskiy, reported Entertainment Tonight.
Chmerkovskiy has been actively sharing updates on his verified Instagram account since Russia instigated an invasion of the country on February 24, 2022. Ukrainians woke that day to a full attack by Russian forces, announcing what could become the biggest war in Europe since World War II.
For those unfamiliar with Maksim Chmerkovskiy, he has been a professional dancer on the popular reality competition series DWTS since its second season and has won his first title alongside Olympic ice dancer Meryl Davis in 2014. Chmerkovskiy was born in Ukraine, and his family immigrated to Brooklyn, New York, in 1994.
Chmerkovskiy has been living on and off in Kyiv, Ukraine, for the past six months while filming World of Dance Ukraine. Over this period he’s been splitting his time between Kyiv and Los Angeles, where he lives with his wife, DWTS dancer Peta Murgatroyd, and their five-year-old son.
Below is a timeline with all of Chmerkovskiy’s updates, which show in detail the severity of the situation in Ukraine.
Chmerkovskiy posts his first update from Kyiv on February 24 following Russia’s invasion. “This is not normally the time I would be posting anything on social media,” he says in the video. In the background, you can hear sirens. In the second slide, he shared a video showing Ukrainians packing up their lives to flee the country.
In the post’s caption, he writes, “I will never be the same. This is stressful and I’m getting old feelings back, like I’ve done this before. This does feel like the way it was when and why we left in the 90s. Like my old PTSD I’ve finally fixed is coming back. I literally only just forgot about those ‘always on the edge’ feelings and actually started worrying about things like bbq grills. I’m crying as I’m typing this because all man deserves to worry about ‘bbq grills’ and not fucking war.
“Hug your loved ones.”
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In part two he provides another video of the sirens and military presence. “Honestly, I’m getting really emotional,” Chmerkovskiy says. “It’s a little difficult. You know me, I stay strong and I don’t show it, but I wanna go back home.”
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On Friday, February 25, Chmerkovskiy shares another update from Ukraine.
“I’m safe,” he says in the video. “We haven’t been told to move, and I’m just following instructions. But the reality is that I’m also talking to my friends that are here, the Ukrainians, and the situation is pretty dire. People have been mobilized, the whole country has been called to go to war.” Chmerkovskiy adds that there are people he was judging in dance competitions just days ago who are now defending Ukraine.
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On Saturday, February 26, Chmerkovskiy shares a video of a street in Ukraine at night while the national anthem plays. “Украина, держись!,” the caption reads, which translates to “Ukraine, hold on.”
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On Sunday, February 27, Chmerkovskiy posts a photo of the Ukrainian flag along with the hashtag #istandwithukraine.
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Later he shares another video update on his situation. “I’m very safe. Probably the most safest place I could find. But I’m also in the eye of the storm, within insane proximity to where this is all supposed to come to an end, if ever,” he says. “This is a war. This is a crazy situation. It’s insane.” He continues, “I’m just trying to stay focused and let my voice be heard.”
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On Monday, February 28, Chmerkovskiy says he is trying to leave Ukraine and is headed to the Polish border and that he was arrested.
“It’s just a lot of fighting everywhere,” he says. “Streets are crazy. At one point I got arrested. For me, it was just a reality check. It’s a lot to unpack. I’m not in a mental state right now to do so, I’m just trying to stay focused.”
Chmerkovskiy then discusses his plans to leave Ukraine. “I have options. My options are better than most people’s, unfortunately,” he says. “I’m a little nervous to be honest with you, but I think it’s going to be all right. Well, I know it’s going to be OK.”
Chmerkovskiy closes the video asking friends and fans not to panic if he does not post another update for a while.
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On Tuesday, March 1 Chmerkovskiy posted on his Instagram a video of him safely in Warsaw, Poland, expressing his immense gratitude to the people of Poland and the Polish people who helped him to safety.
“It’s 9 pm, so this is officially my 36th hour of being awake,” expressed Chmerkovskiy. In a 26 minute video, he shared his understanding of the historical context of the USSR conflicts and its relation to Russia and Ukraine.
Of his remarks, he seemed to be directly speaking to Russia, and their President Vladimir Putin directly stating, “Who are you going to play against, you’re going to live by yourself in your little broken and bankrupt nation.”
He ended the video by stating that he is going to keep posting what is happening and expressing his gratitude to all who’ve helped him so far, specifically Polish people.
“I am in your debt,” Chmerkovskiy addressed to the Polish people, “What I’ve seen was an example of humanity in need and of being a friend, of being a neighbor, of being a person I want to live with in a community.”
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On Wednesday, March 2 he shared another video update that confirmed he was on his way back to the United States and, at the time, was waiting to board his plane. In the video Chmerkovskiy also requested that his followers keep helping Ukraine and to use their voices and platforms to talk about what is happening. “I’m not sure how to feel about it,” Chmerkovskiy said about the situation. “I’m angry, I’m fucking angry, I’m pissed.”
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Chmerkovskiy shared an emotional reunion with his wife, Dancing With the Stars pro Peta Murgatroyd, upon his return to the United States later that day. Murgatroyd was seen greeting her husband at LAX airport in Los Angeles, and the couple held each other tight before leaving the terminal together. You can watch here.
This post will be updated as more information is shared.
