'DWTS' Alum Maksim Chmerkovskiy Arrives In Poland After 23-Hour Journey From Ukraine

"Dancing With the Stars" pro dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy has arrived in Warsaw, Poland, following a long and exhausting train ride from Kyiv, Ukraine.

The 42-year old Ukrainian-American dance champion and choreographer has been actively posting about his experiences in Ukraine, from the moment he was about to go to a bomb shelter up to the time he went on board an overcrowded train to Poland. He then took to Instagram Monday to open up about how friends helped him flee the country amid the Russian invasion.

"I have the best, the most amazing friends," Maksim began his clip as he sat on the couch of a hotel in Warsaw. "I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the support along the way."

The "DWTS" alum went on to share how long he had been awake, saying, "This is 9 p.m., so this is officially my 36th hour of being awake."

"I boarded the train to Warsaw last second and then it took off... It was about a 23-hour trip from Kyiv to Warsaw," he recalled.

Obviously still exhausted from the journey he had just completed, the pro dancer said he had a lot of things to process. "I want to say a couple of things... The number one priority right now is that the war is just heating up. I keep seeing reports and they're gonna get worse," he said.

Maksim then apologized for his previous posts, which were graphic, and made a commentary about their importance. "Forgive me for posting it but at the same time, it has to come out. We've become so sterile with the way we accept news," he explained.

Maksim also shared that seeing the casualties from the Russian attacks brought back his memories as a high school student in Brooklyn. "I feel like I'm in high school again in Brooklyn – a little kid gets beat up by a bigger kid," he recalled.

The ballroom champion also confessed that he felt guilty for leaving Ukraine and taking up space on the train. He said he saw so many disturbing images and admitted that he would require therapy before he could move on.

On the same day, Maksim took to Instagram Stories to share a clip showing Russian aggressors firing at a residential building. He also posted a video revealing that the Russian army carried expired food supplies.

Maksim was born in Odesa, Ukraine, but he and his family immigrated to the U.S. in 1994. His younger brother Val also competed in several seasons of "DWTS." Apparently, he was in Ukraine for the filming of a reality competition series, "World of Dance UA."