He participated in the militant rebellion in Petrograd in 1917, in battles of the Russian Civil War as a machine gunner in the 1st Cavalry Army; he worked as political agitator attached to the Black Sea and Baltic fronts. During the German-Soviet War he participated in the defense of Leningrad.
As a participant in the Petrograd uprising in 1917, he engaged in combat during the Russian Civil War as a machine gunner with the 1st Cavalry Army; he served as a political activist affiliated with the Black Sea and Baltic fronts. During the war between Germany and the Soviet Union, he defended Leningrad.