In 1898, he became a docker at Rostov-on-Don, where he joined a Marxist study circle led by future Bolshevik Vladimir Petrov.

[5] On his 21st birthday, Afanasy was conscripted for seven years into the navy and sent to Sevastopol for four months of training.

In March, they had already written "The Resolution of the Black Sea sailors" calling for the end of Tsarism and a Constituent assembly.

[7] During the Potemkin mutiny Matushenko took part in the killing of Captain Golikov and Ippolit Giliarovsky.

Subsequently he lived in exile in Romania, Switzerland, US (June 1906 - March 1907) and France (March–June 1907).

Some considered his views close to social-democrats, while other thought him closer to SRs or anarchists.