Among the many scrambling to escape war-torn Kyiv was Ukrainian-born “Dancing with the Stars” choreographer Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Born in Odessa, the dancer immigrated to Brooklyn in 1994. He was there when Russia invaded.
The dancer, who had only a backpack, documented his difficult journey across the country.
“Hundreds of women and children are crammed into every train…Walkways are packed. People everywhere. It’s sweaty and claustrophobic,”Chmerkovskiy wrote.
Men aged between 18 and 60 years were not allowed to leave. However, Chmerkovskiy was permitted to leave the country because he is an American citizen with a U.S. passport.
“I’m at a station about 30 minutes before the border with Poland,”Chmerkovskiy claimed that the train he was on broke down near the border.
After 31 hours of no sleep, he finally made it to Poland Tuesday morning.
Every day thousands arrive in desperate attempts to flee the Russian bombardment.
The European Union on Tuesday estimated that up to four million people may try to leave Ukraine because of the Russian invasion. More than 670,000 people have crossed into countries bordering Ukraine, including Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Moldova, the UN said.
The UN has estimated there are at least 160,000 people in Ukraine who have fled the war and are displaced within their own country, but the EU said that number could reach seven million, and that 18 million Ukrainians will be affected by the war.
“Even though these are very rough estimates,”European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis ManagementJanez Lenarcic spoke to the BBC. “The figures are huge, and we have to prepare for this kind of emergency, which is of historical proportions.”