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Weeks after Maksim Chmerkovskiy fled Kyiv, the professional dancer has returned overseas to help other refugees escaping the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian-born Dancing with the Stars pro documented his escape earlier this month as he made his way to the border of Poland, even revealing that he was arrested at one point. After a difficult journey, he finally returned to the U.S., touching down in Los Angeles and reuniting with his wife, Peta Murgatroyd. Since returning, however, he has spoken about his "survivor's remorse" of leaving his home country while others were forced to stay back.
"I spent the last couple of days with survivor's remorse," he said. "And I'm currently working on an opportunity to go back. Probably sometime next week I'm going to go back to Poland and joining efforts on the ground. Sort of want to justify my safe out that way."
Chmerkovskiy made good on his promise and returned to Poland to help other Ukrainians escaping the attacks, per People. He updated fans on his plans in an Instagram Live as well as information about Baranova 27, a charitable organization he and his family created to raise funds for humanitarian aid to Ukraine. As of March 21, the GoFundMe page has raised more than $141,000.
"Saw my family, saw my friends, obviously spent some time. And we've been working. We've been working on tangible opportunities to help," he said in the video, adding, "We've been working diligently on making Baranova 27 something that, as big as it took off, that it can continue that way."
Speaking from Warsaw, the capital of Poland, Chmerkovskiy said many Polish towns are running out of space to accept more refugees as the devastation in Ukraine continues.
"I want everyone to understand what that means because everything that happened, happened fast and it was traumatic and it was worldwide and everything," he said. "But right now, it is getting worse. Humanitarian crisis is getting worse. People are getting hurt worse, there are more people hurt, and there are more people affected."