Maksim Chmerkovskiy is cherishing time with loved ones after escaping Ukraine earlier this week.
On Saturday, March 5, Maksim's wife Peta Murgatroyd took to Instagram to share her thoughts on her husband's harrowing ordeal being stranded in his native country after Russia's invasion and his journey home to Los Angeles.
The fellow Dancing With the Stars pro also shared a photo of her and her husband's emotional reunion at the airport as well as a pic of him cuddling in bed with their five-year-old son, Shai.
"I never thought our family would be directly affected by this in our lifetime, I never thought what we are seeing on our TV's was a reality in 2022," Peta shared in her post's caption. "I have never hugged him so tight. Shaking and forever grateful. Now it's time to heal. We cannot go back to our normal. Our lives are forever changed. We have a new normal, and that's ok."
However, Peta was quick to share that her humanitarian work is far from over.
"Although @maksimc made it home, this DOES NOT mean we aren't continuing our efforts to provide assistance to the Ukrainian refugees," she explained. "We have big plans in store and our sole focus is on this war. [heart emoji] A smaller plan is going up on my stories soon!"
Maksim was in Ukraine filming a local version of the reality show World of Dance in the capital of Kyiv when Russian forces invaded on Feb. 24 as part of a "special military operation" ordered by President Vladimir Putin.
The professional dancer and choreographer, who moved with his family to the U.S. in 1994, documented his escape from the country in dispatches on Instagram, while Peta called on her followers to pray for his safe return.
"This was not me trying to publicize the situation," he later said on Good Morning America. "This was me trying to cry for help. I literally, I was just screaming out, 'This is what I just saw. I just want you to see it, whoever you are.'"