‘DWTS’ Maksim Chmerkovskiy Reunites With Wife After Escaping Ukraine War

Maksim Chmerkovskiy has made it to safety in the United States after fleeing war-torn Ukraine … and he just reunited with his wife at the airport.

Check out this emotional video of the “Dancing With The Stars” alumni Wednesday at LAX … you can see he’s happy to see his better half, Peta Murgatroyd, after a harrowing experience in Europe … and they share a long embrace and kiss.

Maksim is clearly impacted by what he witnessed in the middle of war … and he says he’s just trying to process all that just happened in Kyiv, where bombs are exploding.

It’s scary … Maksim says when he was in Ukraine he was told to get a gun and watch YouTube videos on how to use an AK-47 … but he says he opted to document everything for the world to see, using his iPhone as a weapon instead of a firearm.

Maksim’s also got some strong words for Russian strongman Vladimir Putin … wishing him a similar fate as Adolf Hitler.

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It’s the culmination of a long journey for Maksim as he flees his native Ukraine and the Russian invasion devastating his countrymen.

Maksim, who lived in Ukraine until he was 14 and then recently returned to Kyiv to work on a dance competition show, documented much of the daring journey on social media … first sharing a video of him on a balcony in the capital while sirens blared around him.

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Stuck in Kyiv as Russian forces surrounded the city, Maksim spent time in a bomb shelter before boarding a train bound for Poland. The train ended up being packed to the gills, and during the journey to Warsaw he says he witnessed a boy say goodbye to his dad.

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About 16 hours ago, Maksim boarded a plane from Poland … and now he’s reached safety in the USA.

Maksim’s obviously going through a lot of emotions … and he’s thanking everyone in his country who took up arms, the neighboring countries offering support, and the news media on the ground in Ukraine.