“Dancing With The Stars” professional Maksim Chmerkovskiy said Monday he was able to escape Ukraine safely after he allegedly was arrested, according to his Instagram account.
In a video he shared, Chmerkovskiy updated his followers about what he said was happening on the ground in Ukraine.
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“Just a lot of fighting everywhere,” Chmerkovskiy said. “Uh, streets are crazy. I, uh, at one point, I got arrested.” Chmerkovskiy declined to provide any additional details surrounding his alleged arrest but promised everyone he was “all good.” He also said it was the “least traumatizing moment” surrounding the recent events in Ukraine.
He then explained that he was going to attempt to get out of Ukraine.
“I have options,” Chmerkovskiy said. “My options are better than most people’s, unfortunately.”
Later, Chmerkovskiy posted updates on his Instagram story, indicating he was on a train to Poland. He described the conditions on the train as “claustrophobic” and “packed.”
Eventually, Chmerkovskiy arrived in Poland and shared a simple message on his Instagram story to let his followers know he was safe.
Chmerkovskiy began posting updates about the situation in Kyiv via his Instagram on February 24. The “Dancing With The Stars” professional, who is originally from Ukraine, said everyone was hoping there wouldn’t be such “aggressive measures.” (RELATED: ‘No To War’: Russian Celebrities Turning On Putin)
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Chmerkovskiy also gave his followers a glimpse of what the ground situation in Kyiv looked like and posted a video of what he said was mostly Ukrainian civilians turning away Russian tanks.
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War erupted in Ukraine on February 23 when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he would conduct a “special military operation in Donbas” and news of explosions in Kyiv were reported.
Ukraine prepared for a possible Russian invasion back in mid-February.