‘Dancing with the Stars’ pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy says he feels ‘guilty’ for leaving Ukraine

by Cameron Jenkins - 03/04/22 5:45 PM ET

Maksim Chmerkovskiy of “Dancing with the Stars” said on Friday that he has felt “guilty” after escaping Ukraine amid the Russian invasion.

“I feel guilty. I feel bad,” Chmerkovskiy said in an interview with “Good Morning America.” “I feel ashamed. I feel upset.”

Chmerkovskiy told the morning show that he had a very emotional response to leaving the country.

“I cried from the airport, I felt embarrassed … the entire ride back cause I was the only man on the train amongst all women and children,” Chmerkovskiy said.

He detailed that in his last days in the country, he became increasingly aware of the danger around him.

“This is a country. And the country is on fire. You know? It was very difficult to process for me,” he said. “Because you know we’re used to [flying] out, do some stuff, experience some things and always fly back. And here I am. I’m unable to fly home. And that to me was sort of like the biggest moment of understanding like ‘you’re in trouble.'”

“I’m still in a very much in that fight-or-flight [mode],” he added. “I’m a big boy, but I know for a fact that I’m going through something mentally … because I get into these cry moments, I’m emotional, I can’t control it.”

Earlier this week, Chmerkovskiy returned to the U.S. and had an emotional reunion with his wife at Los Angeles International Airport.

“I just don’t want to resent peace somewhere else because of what I just saw — and that’s the reality,” Chmerkovskiy said at the time.

Tags Dancing with the Stars Maksim Chmerkovskiy ukraine russia conflict