DWTS pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy flees Ukraine to Warsaw on train packed with ‘hysterical’ women

Maksim Chmerkovskiy has fled warn-torn Ukraine in search of safety on a ‘sweaty and claustrophobic’ train full of women and children heading to Warsaw, Poland, following his arrest in the capital city of Kyiv. 

The Ukrainian Dancing With the Stars pro, 42, updated followers in series of social media posts on Monday, detailing his ‘traumatizing’ attempt to get out of the country amid the Russian invasion.

Chmerkovskiy, who has been in Kyiv working as a judge on the Ukrainian version of World of Dance, had planned on staying in his native land when the fighting first broke out, however, after he got a ‘reality check’ by being arrested he decided to flee. The country announced last week that men of fighting age – between 18-60 – were prohibited from leaving Ukraine but since Maks holds a U.S. passport, he is exempt from the mandate.  

‘I made it on the train. We’re heading to Warsaw (hopefully). Train to Lviv was not an option,’ the choreographer penned. ‘The situation at the train station is insane. AT first it feels manageable, but it get A LOT worse when it comes time to actually board the train.’

‘Long story but all I can say now is that I’m a big man with nothing but a backpack it’s TRAUMATIZING,’ he continued. ‘Currently I’m in a cabin with 4 adults and 7 kids (ages 2-11) which is usually only occupied by maximum of 3 people.’

Maksim revealed that the train car that he’s currently traveling in is outfitted for roughly 30 riders but refugees were told they needed to fit 135 people inside.

‘Walkways are packed. People everywhere. It’s sweaty and claustrophobic,’ he said. Photos from a train station in illustrate the reality star’s situation. Thousands of people were seen bundled up in freezing temperatures standing practically on top of one another as they attempted to get a train out of the country. 

Fighting-aged men are prohibited from leaving Ukraine under a new mandate so the trains are filled primarily with women and children.   

Back in the 1990s, Maksim and his family emigrated to the United States and thus he holds a U.S. passport, allowing him the rare opportunity to flee for safety. 

‘What finally broke me is when I was watching an eight-ish year old boy, hysterically crying and not wanting to let go of his father,’ he wrote in a heartbreaking post on Instagram. ‘Verbatim: “if you stay I want to stay too because if they kill you I won’t be able to help”.’ 

His wife, Peta Murgatroyd, shared his post on her social media feed saying she was ‘so f**king proud’ of her husband for helping out the refugee children.

Maks’ decision to finally leave Kyiv came after he was arrested while in the capital city amid the Russian military assault. 

‘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.’ 

‘I’m going to try and make my way out.  I’m going to start making my way towards the border. I have options.’ Adding: ‘Just a little nervous but I think it’s going to be alright. I know it’s going to be okay. 

Maksim posted graphic videos to his stories and grid throughout Ukraine, as the star says he’s tried and stressed out after seeing innocent people being killed.

He said on Sunday: ‘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. 

‘This is a war. This is a crazy situation. It’s insane and I’m losing my final little things. This is not a cry for help. I’m a big boy. I can handle myself.. but I’m starting to not be able to just sort of keep my head.’

‘The reality is, I just want to go home. I’m just hoping for a safe ending to it all.’ 

His wife Peta, 35, took to Instagram on Sunday with an emotional message in which she shared that an empathetic group of strangers had made a kind gesture to her amid the absence of Maksim. 

‘Although I’m going through hell right now and I want it all to end…[there] is light that shines through the darkness,’ said Murgatroyd, who is mother to five-year-old son Shai with Chmerkovskiy, who she wed in July of 2017. 

Murgatroyd, an alum of Dancing With the Stars, remains at the family’s home in California amid the uncertain time. She said that strangers baked her cookies ‘and proudly brought them to [her] door. 

‘They stood there with smiles so wide. Let me repeat … strangers, whom I don’t talk to thought that they should get in their kitchen and bake me cookies,’ she said. ‘They also took it upon themselves to google if I was allergic to anything, just to make sure they weren’t hurting me.’ 

Chmerkovskiy has also provided frequent social media updates amid the conflict, as he said Thursday he had not attempted to leave the country due to safety concerns around the border of Poland. The professional dancer said he felt his odds for departure from the Ukraine were helped in having an American passport.

Chmerkovskiy added that the conflict had taken an emotional toll on him, as he said he ‘will never be the same’ in the wake of the invasion.

‘This is stressful and I’m getting old feelings back, like I’ve done this before,’ he said Thursday. ‘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.’

On Sunday, Chmerkovskiy took to Instagram Stories with a number of messages, urging people in the dance community in European countries to help take care of refugees if they were able to. He shared a number of links to resources to help people exit safely amid the ongoing military conflict.

Chmerkovskiy also wrote, ‘Russia needs a revolution!!! Russian people are being lied to!!! Russians! Wake up! It will take you generations to get over this and generations of people around the world will never forgive you!!!’

On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to put nuclear weapons on enhanced alert for ‘special regime of combat duty’ amid heightened tensions with Europe and the United States following the invasion.

Putin cited aggression toward Russia from NATO as well as economic sanctions and moves shutting down Russian banking institutions using the banking system SWIFT.

The U.N. Security Council is slated to hold an emergency meeting regarding the invasion Monday.