AUBURN, Maine — Millions of Ukrainians have been fleeing their homes since the Russian invasion of their country began in February, and some are arriving in Maine as refugees seeking asylum.
Many would not be in Maine without the help of one man: Oleg Opalnyk.
Opalnyk was born in the Vinnytsia region of Ukraine in 1977, when the country was still under Soviet Union rule. Watching Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces invade his homeland reminds him of the oppression he and his family faced as Protestant Christians.
"When I went to school, I was basically different than anyone else. I was bullied on, picked on," Opalnyk said. "My father was a pastor. Well, he had a regular job, but his pastoring was in secret. If someone knew he was a pastor, he would be in jail."
Behind closed doors, Oleg's mother would use a typewriter to make copies of religious texts, locking the doors, drawing the blinds, and turning out the lights for fear of being caught.
"Nobody had typewriters in their houses. It was completely illegal because they were afraid that propaganda would spread all over the Soviet Union. If someone was caught with that, she'd be sent to prison right away," Opalnyk said. "She always had blisters on her fingers and callouses from constantly typing. It's not like working on a computer. It's boom, boom, boom. You have to hit hard to make sure it goes through multiple papers for that letter to be visible."
In 1991, the Soviet Union dissolved, marking a new era of freedom: 30 years to rebuild, free from repression until Putin ordered the invasion in 2022.
"It changed overnight that someone said, 'No, you cannot be free,'" Opalynk said. "It's just so sad, you know. Yes, I'm a proud American. My heart still partially belongs to Ukraine. Dead bodies, people are fighting to the last breath, innocent children escaping, losing their parents. It breaks my heart."
Millions of Ukrainians are leaving what they have spent a generation to create.
"It takes a lifetime to make it something that you're going to live there 'til you die. When they leave that, you leave your soul over there. You put so much effort into that house or piece of land, and then you're lost. What next?" Opalynk said. "I wanted to go there and fight and protect the innocent because it is so unfair."
Instead, Opalnyk channeled that energy into helping refugees. He bought an apartment building in Auburn before Russia's invasion with plans to renovate it and rent it out.
Now he is using it to house Ukrainians seeking safety and shelter.
"It's a small part that I can share with them. It's the only apartment they can live [in]. They lost a whole life over there," Opalnyk said.
Opalnyk has already brought two families to Maine after they gained asylum status entering the United States.
"Of course, it was emotional to me that finally, we have them to be in a safe place," he said.
One family, whose name NEWS CENTER Maine is not publishing at this time, escaped from their home in Borodyanka, outside of Kyiv, just hours before Russian missiles and shells leveled the town.
"It's unbelievable. Everyone is still in shock," Tatiana, the mother of three children, said.
Tatiana said she was looking forward to a "peaceful sky. No more planes. No more missiles. No more cries of the people."
She and her husband are trying to figure out how to explain all of this to their 2-year-old daughter, Katherine.
"You have to live through that to understand. The only thing left is the pictures and videos," Tatiana said.
Opalnyk plans to bring more families to Maine as he aims to have the burned-out apartment building rehabbed and renovated by late May.
"This is my prayer I do every day: 'God, please protect the Ukraine. Please stop this war. Please stop the evil,'" Opalnyk said.
Opalnyk provides these apartments for free to the refugees: no rent, no utilities, etc.
Anyone who wants to help these families can reach out to Opalnyk through email: OPOCustom@gmail.com