Maksim Chmerkovskiy saw firsthand what people in Ukraine were going through during their war with Russia.
While trapped there for five days, Maksim shared videos and Instagram posts showing what was going on in the country where he was born.
Officials finally ordered Maksim to leave the country since he was a United States citizen, but now that he is back in America, he wants to help others.
He has found a way to help his fellow ballroom dancers.
Maksim helping Ukrainian dancers escape Ukraine
Maksim Chmerkovskiy and his brother Valentin have a dance company called Dance With Me.
Through their company, the brothers are helping Ukrainian ballroom dancers relocate to the United States during the war with Russia.
The dance studio shared information on Instagram on Monday that explained how the dancers could get to the safety of the United States.
Dance With me raised over $22,000 at their DWM Regionals last weekend, and they will use that money to help Ukrainian dancers overseas.
Dance With Me will give dancers a $5,000 signing bonus to provide them with a financial start in the U.S. They will also help them “get a visa and try to get refugee status” and “provide them with accommodation and relocation assistance.”
Dance With Me making a stance to help dancers
“We’re helping dancers who can no longer work and make any money,” Alex Samusevich, Director of Marketing at Dance With Me, told TODAY.
“We’re helping them relocate and start careers here. They can make money and send money back to their families in Ukraine.”
“We have some houses that we’re currently renting in the tri-state area [New York, New Jersey, Connecticut] and Texas so they can have their own place,” he said.
Samusevich also had bigger news. These dancers do not have to pay the company back since they will provide them with work in the United States.
The company also posted a second message on Instagram, directed at Ukraine itself.
“This unwarranted attack on Ukraine has affected our staff, friends, and family who currently have loved ones suffering and directly in harm’s way as a result of this tragedy,” they wrote. “We stand for peace, for democracy, for freedom, and we stand with Ukraine and their right to defend themselves.”
Dancing with the Stars is on hiatus. The dancing reality competition series will return to ABC in late 2022.