With, he was quick to note, the assistance of Bethenny Frankel, who was among the first of the American celeb set to start fundraising and organizing on behalf of Ukraine. Maks pointed to her BStrong foundation as one of the honorable organizations he trusts to distribute funds where they’re most needed, and he, Val and their father Sasha Chmerkovskiy have also started Baranova27—the family’s street address in Odessa—to aid the Ukrainian people.
Maks said he was planning to go back to the area this month, but with another baby on the way and considering the long road it took to get there, he decided to postpone the trip.
“I would like to keep my wife, first and foremost, healthy and happy,” he explained. “I was meant to be in Ukraine next week, this was a long time coming, planning and everything else. Then, just sitting down with Peta and looking in her eyes, and understanding how devastating that even the prospect [that something might happen] is to her, seeing her being 16 weeks into that cherished pregnancy that she wanted for so long. I just can’t do it.”
