Maksim Chmerkovskiy Shares Terrifying Update From Kyiv as Adult Men Are Banned From Leaving Ukraine

The "DWTS" pro desperately wants to reunite with his family in the US, but fears heading west to the Polish border after watching videos of Russian tanks "pummeling civilian cars trying to move out of the city."

Sharing another Instagram video from outside his bunker-equipped hotel, he tried to assure fans he was safe — right as an air raid siren began drowning him out.

"I'm safe, I'm really really, I promise, as safe as I can be," he said, even as he panned the camera to show military personnel running through the otherwise-deserted streets.

"A lot of people are asking if I'm making out," he said. "I'm not currently trying to leave, I'm staying here. I'm going to do my best to make sure I'm as safe as possible."

"I'm not moving towards the border currently. I heard it's not safe," he added. "I made a decision not try to go right now."

He expressed fears for many of his friends who were currently fleeing for the Polish border; unlike Ukraine — whose intended membership of the NATO alliance is vehemently opposed by Russia — Poland actually is a member, and thus protected by all other members... including the US.

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared martial law across the entire country, mobilizing its 36,000 military reserves and even calling on civilians to take up arms. He also banned all men aged 18-60 from leaving the country.

Maksim confirmed this, and while he falls into that category, he did not confirm if it applied to him or not.

"People are being mobilized, the whole country is being called to go to war," he said. "Men, women, boys, these people that I was judging some days ago in dance competitions, are going forward and getting guns and getting deployed to defend the country."

"To all the incredible men and women of the Ukrainian armed forces, and to the... they've called the mobilization of everyone, so anybody aged 18 to whatever, they can't leave the country. So now it's extended to everyone. It's coming to the point where women are going to start joining and enlisting — and they are."

"This is not an army versus an army while the 'civilians' are sitting by and watching. This is civilians, in regular clothes, in regular cars, are getting into military outfits, grabbing guns and going to the front lines. This is real."

"This nation is not giving up," he added. "They're gonna be fighting... this is gonna get really bad. This is gonna get really bad."

He expressed further fears for the most vulnerable, elderly people just getting over Covid and parents with young children who can't "just get up and run." He said kids were falling ill after being forced to shelter in basements without any heat.

"It's not like you can call an Uber, if you know what I'm saying."

He had one last angry message to the Russian propagandists:

"If anybody out there thinks that Ukraine is doing it to itself, you're f--king misinformed and you need to check your sources. In the case of Russians, you need to check your leadership. Your leadership is rotten and they are lying to you."

Before heading to the bomb shelter, he said he was about to be issued a bulletproof vest.

"If this isn't resolved in the next day or two, I think its going to take a turn for... much more aggressive actions and a lot more casualties," he added.