Peta Murgatroyd Asks Fans To Pray For Maksim Chmerkovskiy's Safe Return From Ukraine

The Dancing with the Stars alums are currently dealing with a painful situation as Chmerkovskiy shelters in Ukraine

As conflict escalates amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Peta Murgatroyd is anxiously awaiting the safe return of her husband, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who is currently in Kyiv as Russian military forces descend on the capital.

The couple, who came to fame on Dancing with the Stars, are parents to a 5-year-old son, Shai.

“Please pray for my husband, Maks,” Murgatroyd wrote in an emotional Instagram post on Feb. 24. “I don’t usually ask these things from my social media network, however today is extremely hard and the next few will be even harder. My pain is overwhelming and I’m struggling, but you sending your positive light and love to him would mean the world to me.”

Murgatroyd said that she doesn’t have any details on the situation, but that her husband, who is Ukrainian, is currently safe. She went on to express her solidarity with the people of Ukraine, writing, “Please pray for Ukraine and the innocent civilians who’s [sic] lives are being greatly uprooted. I grew to love this country the couple of times I visited, and they’re in an unfathomable situation.”

Chmerkovskiy, 42, has been posting chilling updates from Kyiv, with sirens blaring in the background as panic engulfs the capital. The Odesa-born dancer and choreographer was reportedly in Ukraine to film the series World of Dance, on which he serves as a judge. In one of his posts from Kyiv, he said he has been there for about six months and “fell back in love” with the homeland he and his family fled thirty years ago.

Amidst the uncertainty, Chmerkovskiy acknowledges his relative privilege, saying in one of his Instagram videos, “I want to go back home and I have a way to. I have a different passport.”

“What I’m realizing is that my friends whose kids are here and whose moms, dads are here, and elderly people are here, they can’t just escape,” he said.

At the same time, Chmerkovskiy’s posts express the urgency of his current situation. “I am not at this point someone who is pleading for someone else’s safety from a far distance,” he said into the camera. “I am somebody who’s about to go into a bomb shelter because sh*t’s going down.”

In his latest post, he clarifies that he’s currently safe and not trying to leave the country, as he has heard reports of “dangerous”activity between Kyiv and the Polish border.

“I made a decision not to try to go right now,” he said, asking fans in another video to not “bombard Peta with messages.”

“It’s not what’s important right now,” Chmerkovskiy added.

We pray for Chmerkovskiy’s safety and for all those suffering in Ukraine.