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"The Challenge" star Jordan Wiseley wanted to find a way to help the crisis unfolding in Ukraine, so he flew to neighboring Poland ... and now he's got a key role in the war effort.

Jordan's staying about a kilometer from the Ukraine border at a small border crossing in Poland, along with his actor roommate Kevin Pasdon, and they're crossing the border in a truck and delivering crucial supplies to Ukrainian troops.

As Jordan explains, he felt drawn to the crisis and recently bought plane tickets to Poland with Kevin ... and while they landed last week without a plan, they knew they would find a way to pitch in, and they did.

Jordan and Kevin say their U.S. passports are being put to good use ... the travel docs allow them to cross into the country with relative ease, unlike other truck drivers who came to help from countries in the European Union.

It also helps Jordan knows how to use a manual transmission ... he says he grew up driving all sorts of vehicles back in the States ... and Jordan's tale of how they got their gig is pretty incredible.

While the deliveries are being made to Ukraine military forces, Jordan and Kevin are not exactly running firearms here ... they say they are delivering essential items, like food, blankets and gasoline.

There's also a bunch of manual labor involved ... they've got to load up the trucks each day with boxes, then unload them once they make it to their drop spots in Ukraine.

Ukraine is in a chess match with Putin's army -- but some of the brave men on the ground are playing a different game ... and they have some interesting board pieces.

Check out these photos of Ukrainian soldiers locked in on a round of checkers -- but instead of red and black chips like you might normally see ... they got Molotov cocktails out! Unclear how they're distinguishing between bottles -- but if you look closely, it seems some of the caps might be different colors.

Kinda surreal to see, especially knowing that they're putting these weapons to use beyond just a game.

Of course ... we've seen ordinary citizens using these puppies to fight back against Russian forces, with local businesses (like breweries and whatnot) creating these on the fly and getting them out to the public for defense.

Indeed, the government has given folks there the greenlight to chuck the cocktails as they see fit -- and after the way the Russian army has been targeting civilians lately ... you can understand why they'd let 'em fly.

Looks like the Ukrainian soldiers have a fair amount themselves ... and until they're needed for flinging in battle, would appear they're putting them to good use elsewhere.

We've seen buildings getting blown to bits from the outside looking in as Russia continues to invade Ukraine -- but here's a peak at the horror from behind closed doors.

This goes without saying ... but it doesn't go without showing. These are photos from inside homes and businesses hit by mortar and missiles throughout the besieged country -- and as you can see, it's utter devastation.

One shot appears to show a gym that's been decimated ... equipment destroyed and scattered about ... totally covered in ash and soot.

There's even some fires that are still going as a result of whatever attack this edifice endured -- again ... just giving you a sense of how bad the property damage is on the ground.

The same can be said for individual people's homes ... which are being turned upside down amid the conflict, with drawers being blown out ... and personal items and debris thrown every which way indoors. Those who are still around are trying to pick up the pieces.

Of course, this is to be expected considering the types of weaponry being unleashed onto the Ukrainian people at the hands of the Russians -- specifically, under the orders of Vladimir Putin. You hear about this stuff, but seeing it is a whole other story.

The exodus from Ukraine is heartbreaking on so many levels -- more than a million-and-a-half people fleeing their homeland as Putin viciously bombs civilian and other targets.

The struggle to leave is especially hard on the elderly ... but their fellow Ukrainians are doing everything in their power to help them with safe passage.

These images are extremely compelling and powerful, and underscore the humanity within the borders of Ukraine.

Elderly citizens are crossing the border in wheelchairs, walkers and whatever other means that are available. As harrowing as it seems -- literally using wheelbarrows to get the infirmed out of harm's way -- it's necessary and it's working.

Seeing soldiers and civilians carry some of the elderly on piggy-back is as inspiring as it is desperate.

Ukrainian actor Pasha Lee was killed while fighting off Russian forces -- having gone from entertainer to soldier who put himself on the front lines in the battle for his country.

Lee died while serving in the Ukrainian army this weekend, falling at the hands of Russian occupiers who were bombarding the city of Irpin with mortar shells -- this according to the Odesa International Film Festival, which broke the news about his passing.

They memorialized him by listing his film credentials, including roles in "Shtolnya," "Shadows of Unforgotten Ancestors," "Zvychayna Sprava," "The Fight Rules," "Meeting of Classmates" and more.

He's also done commercial and TV work, as well as voice acting -- and not just that ... but the dude was apparently known as a composer and theater actor too.

The OIFF wrote, "We call on the world community to help Ukraine in the fight against Russia and stop the war. We urge you to close the sky over Ukraine immediately and continue to boycott Russian cinema."

Unclear when he joined the Ukrainian armed forces -- but Lee is reported to have served in a territorial defense unit ... which apparently saw action in Irpin, an area that was under siege all weekend long -- as many saw first-hand in brutal fashion.

Ukrainian actress Anastasiya Kasilova -- one of his fellow costars -- mourned his death by taking to social media and writing ... "Pasha Li killed during the shelling in Irpen, defending Ukraine. He is an actor, TV presenter, my colleague and a good acquaintance… Not so long ago we shot together in a teaser for a children's film…Never forgive!"

He was 33.

Sean Penn gets choked up remembering his face-to-face meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as war erupted ... and as Russia's invasion intensifies, he's commending Zelensky's bravery.

Speaking out for the first time since leaving war-torn Ukraine, Penn told CNN's Anderson Cooper he couldn't help but praise Zelensky for all he's doing to protect his people. He said, "I don't know if he knew that he was born for this, but it was clear I was in the presence of something ... that was new to the modern world in terms of courage and dignity and love that comes out of that man."

Penn says he met Ukraine's president before the invasion, and then again on the day it started -- amid the chaos and uncertainty, he says Zelensky showed nothing but courage ... which Penn says is also evident in all Ukrainians.

He described his escape to the Polish border as pure terror -- seeing thousands of families fleeing for their lives while the men were forced to stay behind and defend their country ... as the Russian shelling began.

A Ukrainian woman was killed trying to save dogs that were abandoned during the war.

Anastasiia Yalanskaya was delivering dog food to a shelter outside Kyiv, when she was shot and killed by Russian troops. Her family believes the shooting was intentional ... that Anastasiia was targeted by members of the Russian military.

Two other volunteers were also killed.

The town where this happened -- Bucha -- has been the site of unrelenting aggression by the Russian army ... with daily bombings.

She posted a photo of her in a car next to bags of dog food she intended to deliver ... the Insta post went up just hours before Anastasiia was shot and killed.

The attack occurred while she was still in her car ... having just delivered the food.  The car was bullet-ridden.

Anastasiia's husband said, "She was one of the best human beings I knew. She was committed to help, to help her friends and relatives and whoever needed help."

Ukrainian UFC fighter Maryna Moroz won her match Saturday night, and she dissolved into tears afterward telling fans about the heartbreak she and her family are going through in the wake of Putin's war.

Maryna's win against Mariya Agapova was awesome ... an arm-triangle choke ended the fight in the second round.

Joe Rogan talked to Maryna in the Octagon after the decision was announced, and she confessed it's been a hard week for her and her family. She says she's heartbroken over the attack on her country ... "My family is in Ukraine. I had a hard week. I worried, I cried, because my family is right now in a bad situation."

She added, "Thank you to everyone who messaged me, because this week was hard for me. I want to cry because of this war my country is in. It's a hard time for Ukraine. I want to support my country, my president, whole army in Ukraine, and I want to say we don't want war. I worry about my family right now."

It seems in this increasingly troubled world, all roads lead to Elon Musk, and that was evident again Saturday after he hopped on a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky says Musk is providing more Starlink satellite internet stations to some of Ukraine's "destroyed cities."

Musk assured Zelensky terminals are on the way to Ukraine ... courtesy of SpaceX.

Zelensky said, "Talked to @elonmusk. I’m grateful to him for supporting Ukraine with words and deeds. Next week we will receive another batch of Starlink systems for destroyed cities."

And this is interesting ... Zelensky is confident about the future of Ukraine to add, "Discussed possible space projects. But I’ll talk about this after the war.”

There's been a massive number of internet outages in Ukraine, and Musk had said a few days ago he was stepping up to activate Starlink satellite internet service to the country.

The Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation had tweeted a plea to Musk a few days ago, "@elonmusk, while you try to colonize Mars — Russia try to occupy Ukraine! While your rockets successfully land from space — Russian rockets attack Ukrainian civil people! We ask you to provide Ukraine with Starlink stations and to address sane Russians to stand."

Bethenny Frankel has done something pretty incredible ... she's raising $25 MILLION for Ukrainian relief, and she's not done.

As we reported, Bethenny's foundation -- BStrong -- has been raising cash for badly-needed aid. She says $10 mil has been earmarked to help in the relocation of Ukrainian refugees, and the remaining $15 mil will provide food, medical aid and other necessities inside the war-torn country.

Bethenny said, "We are partnering with different apparel companies, food companies, lodging companies to be announced later, to place these people in lodging."

This isn't the first humanitarian effort in which she's been involved ... her foundation has helped with various disasters around the world since 2017.

Bethenny told us on "TMZ Live" how the foundation works and what they're doing to help innocent civilians whose lives have been turned upside down or destroyed by Putin's war.

As Ukrainians try fleeing while Putin wreaks havoc -- one group that's been all but forgotten is ... unborn kids in the form of embryos, which some docs are fighting hard to save.

Word of a brave practitioner named Birol Aydin -- who runs an IVF clinic called IVMED in Kyiv -- has spread to the community online, and the story goes ... this man has attempted to remove a number of cryogenic tanks containing precious would-be life out of the country.

As one Yale professor puts it on FB ... Aydin supposedly tried smuggling upwards of 17 cryo tanks on day 1 of the Russian invasion, and after 5 days of travel -- he finally reached the border and was apparently able to get at least five of the tanks out of Ukraine in the first trip.

The professor, Cihan Halicigil, says he's hearing that Aydin had to go back for the rest shortly thereafter ... also noting he's a Turkish citizen, and under no obligation to do this.

As for the rest of the clinics in town, it's said to be very dangerous right now ... with a majority of the tanks being stored in bunkers with a low supply of liquid nitrogen (needed to keep them cold) and not a great outlook of viability the longer this conflict lasts.

Even more troubling is the fact that any male IVF docs and/or staffers are reported to have taken up arms in the military there to help fight ... leaving the facilities unmanned and mostly abandoned as Russia continues to move in on the capital.

Halicigil -- who's in the loop on all this from here in the U.S. -- tells TMZ ... these tanks contain anything from eggs and sperm to full-blown embryos that must remain at -196 degrees Celsius, or perish. The conflict has created a supply issue for the liquid nitrogen needed to help keep these tanks up and running -- and that the best of them can stay up and functioning for up to a couple months, assuming all other conditions are favorable.

As for Aydin, it sounds like he was able to get all 17 tanks to a safe place in a bordering country -- but Hilicigil wouldn't give that up for security reasons. Scary stuff, indeed.

Ukraine is getting pummeled by the Russian military, but not at zero cost, and this image of a Russian helicopter going down in flames is proof ... Ukrainians still have a lot of fight left in them.

It appears the helicopter was cruising along when it was hit by a Ukrainian missile. You see the chopper burst into flames as it crashes to the ground.

The direct hit causes the helicopter to explode in a fireball. It looks like the video was shot from a drone. As the chopper goes down, you hear someone say "Glory to Ukraine!"

It's unclear where the incident occurred, but there are reports it's around 25 miles from Kyiv.

The type of helicopter is commonly referred to as a "flying tank" because of its size. The type of helicopter was featured in 'Rambo: First Blood Part II' and "Rambo III."

Lindsey Graham is getting dragged for saying someone in Russia should murder Putin, and by a person that knows a lot about the subject -- the Navy SEAL who shot and killed Osama bin Laden.

Robert O'Neill tells TMZ ... as a Senator, Graham shouldn't have made those comments. He notes Graham's a part of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and believes the Senator should be using those backdoor channels to get the work done instead of talking about it on news TV -- noting politicians shouldn't be worrying about ratings.

Senator Graham took to Fox News on Friday, responding to the terrors developing in Ukraine ... saying "The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out. You would be doing your country and the world a great service."

Now, Robert doesn't completely disagree with Graham, telling us someone on the inside should put a hit on Putin if the madness doesn't end soon. For now, he's hoping this can all end without getting messy and one of Putin's associates knocks some sense into him!

Robert says Putin is losing his mind ... and something needs to get done quickly, as innocent people die every day in Ukraine.

Ukraine is on the edge of a nuclear meltdown after Russian forces attacked the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe ... sending flames into the night sky, and raising fears of another Chernobyl.

Ukrainian officials insist the Zaporizhzhia plant outside the city of Enerhodar is stable ... for now. They say reactor No. 1 was damaged, but personnel have been able to keep it operating safely. Radiation levels in the area are not at dangerous levels.

But, President Zelensky is making it crystal clear his country barely avoided total disaster. During a speech Friday he called the attack on the nuclear plant "a terror of a new level."

He also addressed citizens of Russia ... reminding them their countries were united in 1986 when the Chernobyl plant melted down in the world's biggest nuclear disaster.

Zelensky is urging Russians to demand an end to the war, because he accurately points out ... if a nuclear plant goes up in Ukraine ... the radiation won't stop at the border.

Michael Rapaport is commending President Zelensky for his bravery ... giving his seal of approval to a fellow Jewish man and comedian.

We got Michael in NYC on Thursday, and he had nothing but praise for the Ukrainian President -- who Rapaport believes has been a great leader through such uncertain times.

Michael tells us "[Zelensky]'s been vocal, he's been emotional ... it's been inspiring to me as a Jewish man."

As for how he'd handle a situation similar to Zelensky, Rapaport jokes he'd simply call the guy for help.

Of course, Zelensky was a very famous comedian and actor in Ukraine before becoming President, a role Rapaport believes he should keep -- because he's excelling -- and leave the entertainment biz behind.

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.

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.

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.

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