Last week, Russia's invasion and full-scale military air missile attack on Ukraine began, coming from the North, East, and South. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the country the following morning, revealing that 137 lives were lost and hundreds more injured. 50,000 civilians have fled, while others seek safety and shelter.
Among those who were able to flee the country was Dancing With The Stars alum, Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
Among them was Ukrainian Dancing With The Stars alum, Maksim Chmerkovskiy.
Maksim was in Ukraine working as a judge on World of Dance (the Ukrainian version), and had no plans of leaving.
"The streets are crazy," he said. "At one point I got arrested but again all good, promise. That was probably the least traumatizing moment in this whole thing as far as Ukraine is concerned, but for me, it was just a reality check."
He admitted that while he was nervous, he also felt assured that everything would be alright.
"Just a little nervous but I think it's going to be alright. I know it's going to be okay."
It was announced last week that men between 18-60 are prohibited from leaving Ukraine under martial law, but because Maksim holds a US passport, he is exempt.
He recalled the train station being chaotic and overwhelming.
He revealed that the train is meant to hold no more than 30 people, but was packed with 135 people attempting to leave.
He recalled the most heart-wrenching scene he saw at the train station was a distraught boy being separated from his father, as he could not go with him and was required to stay in the country.
He recalled the boy telling his father that he wanted to stay in Ukraine with him to protect him.
On Sunday, Maksim gave fans another update, reassuring them that he was somewhere safe.
"I'm in a very safe place but this is nuts, and I think everybody is going through a lot of emotions and I think it's time I expose mine in a more personal manner," he said.
He gave fans an update from his hotel room saying even though he made it to safety, he didn't feel okay as the last few days have taken a heavy emotional toll on him.
The video was taken as he prepared to board his flight back to the United States.
He did joke a bit that he has a new patch of gray hairs that, "was definitely not there" before his harrowing ordeal over the last few days.
According to Maksim, Russian forces continue to heavily target civilian areas in Ukraine with rockets and artillery. Maksim revealed that his manager and her family who live near Kyiv but evacuated a few days ago were sent video footage of a rocket landing in their yard, highlighting the danger to the Ukrainian civilians who remain.
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