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Maksim Chmerkovskiy of ‘Dancing with the Stars’ gets tearful reunion in LA

Maksim Chmerkovskiy (AP)

Maksim Chmerkovskiy of “Dancing with the Stars” is back on U.S. soil, after detailing his weeklong ordeal in Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion.

The dancing pro was seen touching down at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday and embracing his wife, Peta Murgatroyd, in the terminal during an emotional reunion.

Asked by “Entertainment Tonight’s” Kevin Frazier what it meant to be home, Chmerkovskiy replied, “I just don’t want to resent peace somewhere else because of what I just saw — and that’s the reality.”

Details of how he navigated his way out of Ukraine weren’t immediately available.

Chmerkovskiy had said last week that he was attempting to leave Ukraine, where he was born before immigrating to the United States as a teen, after seeing “fighting everywhere” following the military offensive by Russian forces.

“The streets are crazy,” Chmerkovskiy said in one Instagram post.

He described a “traumatizing” train ride to Poland, where he was among thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the country to escape the conflict.

“I know that at the very least, I have a chance. I have a passport and I have a way out,” Chmerkovskiy told his more than 1.1 million followers in another social media update.

“A lot of people do not, and it’s f—ing nonsense,” the 42-year-old choreographer said.

“I love Ukraine,” he said.

Tags Dancing with the Stars Russia Russian invasion of Ukraine Ukraine

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