Nikolai was born in Western Ukraine in the village of Shcherbintsy, Novoselitsky district, Chernivtsi region, Vera in the city of Ordzhonikidze, North Ossetian ASSR (North Caucasus). They got married in Chernivtsi. In 1993, the family moved from Ukraine to the USA to Fresno, California. Nikolai departed into eternity on October 28, 2021.