Dancing With the Stars pro Peta Murgatroyd is asking fans to pray for her husband Maksim Chmerkovskiy as he remains stuck in Ukraine amid a Russian military invasion. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine have been brewing for quite some time, as Russian president Vladimir Putin was continually threatening to invade the country. On Thursday, February 24 Putin went through with his threats as missiles struck Ukraine on its eastern, northern, and southern borders. Explosions were also seen in the countries capital Kyiv, where Maks is currently staying. Videos and pictures shared on social media show Ukrainian citizens taking shelter in abandoned subway stations, which they are using as bomb shelters. There also seemed to be a mass exodus with Ukrainians trying to flee for safety.
Maks was born in Ukraine in 1980 when the country was still a part of the Soviet Union. After Ukraine declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, his family decided to emigrate to New York in 1994 when he was 15. They left the country under similar circumstances when there was conflict between the two countries in the 90s. Since then, Maks has traveled to his homeland a number of times, most recently to act as a judge on Dancing With The Stars Ukraine, which is why he is currently there. In videos he has been posting on Instagram, Maks assures fans he is safe and is lucky to have an American port.
Amid the conflict in Ukraine, Maks' wife Peta shared her pain with her fans and asked them to pray for his safe return to the states. In her post, Peta opened up about the overwhelming pain she is in, itting she is struggling amid the uncertainty surrounding her husband's safety. She said she typically doesn't open up like this on social media, but she is struggling and wants nothing more from fans but to send positive thoughts to Maks and to keep him in their prayers. She continued to assure fans that he is safe for the time being but continued to ask fans to pray he arrives home safe soon. Peta ended her post by also asking fans to pray for the country of Ukraine, which she has grown to love, and for the safety of the civilians.
Hours after the missile attacks first began, Maks took to Instagram to share his s on what is going on and continues to keep fans updated. In one of his videos, he explains how lucky he is to have an American port which makes it so much easier for him to get out of the country, as he has friends who don't have that luxury. He said he chose not to leave as of now, as there are reports of dangerous activity near the border. In his caption, he wrote that his PTSD from similar experiences in his childhood is coming back and he feels like he is reliving certain experiences which led his family to leave Ukraine in the first place. He claims he will never be the same after this, and that war is never the answer to any problem.
The situation in Ukraine continues to evolve, and Dancing With The Stars pro Maks promises to keep fans updated with his experiences from time to time. Hopefully, he is able to come home soon, and the loss of innocent lives ends as diplomats from both countries find a way to end the conflict.
Source: Peta Murgatroyd/Instagram