Maksim Chmerkovskiy is finally safe and out of Ukraine.
After sharing several first-hand updates from his native country amid Russia's invasion, the Dancing With the Stars alum posted on his Instagram Story that he was able to escape to Poland via train.
"We're heading to Warsaw (hopefully)," he wrote on Feb. 28. "Train to Lviv was not an option. The situation at the train station is insane. AT first it feels manageable, but it gets A LOT worse when it comes time to actually board the train."
An experience Maks—who recently returned to the Eastern European country to be a judge on World of Dance—tried to find the words to describe. "All I can say no is that I'm a big man with nothing but a backpack it's TRAUMATIZING," he wrote. "Currently I'm in a cabin with 4 adults and 7 kids (ages 2-11) which usually is only occupied by maximum 3 people. There's usually up to 30 people in this particularly wagon. We were told we have to fit 135."
On board, he witnessed a heartbreaking moment between a young boy and his father. "What finally broke me is when I was watching an eight-ish year old boy, hysterically crying and not wanting to let go of his father," he shared. "Verbatim: 'if you stay I want to stay too because if they kill you I won't be able to help.'"
After what he described as 31 hours with no sleep, the 42-year-old finally arrived at his destination. Alongside the Ukraine flag, Polish flag and the prayer hands emoji, he wrote, "I'm in Poland."
Since Feb. 24, Maks has been posting video updates about his experience, even noting that his arrest "was probably the least traumatizing moment in this whole thing."
The day after Russia's invasion, his wife Peta Murgatroyd made a heartfelt plea to her followers. "Please pray that he comes home soon," she wrote on Instagram. "Please pray that he has a swift, safe exit. I have FAITH. I have HOPE and I have PRAYED so hard."