Maks Chmerkovskiy Keeps Peta Murgatroyd Close During Beach Stroll After His Escape from Ukraine

Maksim Chmerkovskiy is holding on tight to his wife, Peta Murgatroyd.

Following his escape from Ukraine this week, the former Dancing With the Stars pro, 42, was photographed taking a stroll on the beach with his wife of nearly five years.

The pair appeared to be in unison on Thursday, wearing sweatpants, sweatshirts, sneakers and sunglasses as they walked together on the sand. They weren't afraid to show off a little PDA either, with Chmerkovskiy keeping his arm around Murgatroyd's shoulder and hers tightly around his waist.

The beach stroll comes just one day after the couple — who wed in 2017 and share 5-year-old son Shai — had an emotional reunion at Los Angeles International Airport after Chmerkovskiy returned from Ukraine.

"I just don't want to resent peace somewhere else because of what I just saw, that's the reality. I don't know really what to say right this second," the Ukrainian-born dancer told Entertainment Tonight after arriving at the airport, following his week-long escape from Ukraine.

The specific details of how Chmerkovskiy got out of Ukraine are not yet known. Men in the age range of 18-60 had reportedly been prohibited from leaving the country under a mobilization order. Thousands of people have fled or tried to escape Ukraine amid warnings of a possible "refugee crisis."

One week prior to his return to the States, Chmerkovskiy uploaded videos from Kyiv, where he had been filming the country's World of Dance series, for which he serves as a judge. That same day, the Russian military began an invasion of Ukraine after President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" in the Donbas area, a separatist region in the country which he said should be independent — a move rejected by the U.S. and Ukraine.

In the days that followed, Chmerkovskiy had been documenting his experience amid the Russian invasion on social media. As he carefully made his way home, Murgatroyd, 35, turned to Instagram and asked her followers for prayers and well wishes.

"I don't usually ask these things from my social media network, however, today is extremely hard and the next few will be even harder," the Dancing with the Stars pro wrote, in part, last week. "My pain is overwhelming and I'm struggling, but you sending your positive light and love to him would mean the world to me. Truly, I wish for nothing more."

"Please pray that he comes home soon. Please pray that he has a swift, safe exit," Murgatroyd continued. "I have FAITH. I have HOPE and I have PRAYED so hard."

The day before their reunion, she also shared a photograph of her family beside a lit candle and wrote, "I rotated candles and never let them blow out for those 5 days. 24/7 @maksimc I cannot wait to be with you again."

On Friday, Chmerkovskiy had his first on-camera interview with Good Morning America, where he opened up about how he feels "guilty" for leaving his home country while others are not able to.

"I feel guilty. I feel bad. I feel ashamed. I feel upset," Chmerkovskiy revealed during the broadcast. "I'm a big boy, but I know for a fact that I'm going through something mentally ... because I get into these cry moments, I'm emotional, I can't control it."

"I cried from the airport, I felt embarrassed ... the entire ride back cause I was the only man on the train amongst all women and children," Chmerkovskiy added.

RELATED VIDEO: Maks Chmerkovskiy Says He's Reached Poland After Leaving Ukraine by Train

Russia's attack on Ukraine continues after their forces launched a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24 — the first major land conflict in Europe in decades. Details of the fighting change by the day, but hundreds of civilians have already been reported dead or wounded, including children. More than a million Ukrainians have also fled, the United Nations says.

"You don't know where to go, where to run, who you have to call. This is just panic," Liliya Marynchak, a 45-year-old teacher in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, told PEOPLE of the moment her city was bombed — one of numerous accounts of bombardment by the Russians.

The invasion has drawn condemnation around the world and increasingly severe economic sanctions against Russia. With NATO forces massing in the region around Ukraine, various countries have also pledged aid or military support to the resistance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for peace talks — so far unsuccessful — while urging his country to fight back.

Putin insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the best security interests of his country.

Zelenskyy vowed not to bend. "Nobody is going to break us, we're strong, we're Ukrainians," he told the European Union in a speech in the early days of the fighting, adding, "Life will win over death. And light will win over darkness."

The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE's complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help.