Chmerkovskiy described his harrowing train ride out of Ukraine and into Poland as "like out of a movie" and said he felt "guilt" for escaping. He said he went 36 hours without sleep during the trek and remained standing for most of it so as not to take up an additional seat.
The choreographer also encouraged Russian citizens to protest Putin.
"I'm having a horrible time. I'm having very mixed emotions. I have my friends there, my friends in (the) frontline," he said. "I can't hear from some of the people. I can't get in touch with them. I don't know if they're dead."
Send an email
