A hero of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877, he served as Governor-General of Warsaw in Poland, where he was known for his liberal policies that ultimately led to his replacement by the Russian authorities.

From 1856 to 1859 he took part in the Caucasian War against Chechens and Dagestanis with a Georgian Grenadier Regiment, during which he was promoted to lieutenant colonel upon request on January 31, 1857.

He took part in suppressing the Polish January Uprising in 1863, earning the Captaincy for Distinguished Service on July 4 of that year,[1] and in 1876 became chief of staff of the Russian Army in Warsaw.

He was a supporter of Polish-Russian cooperation, and thought that Poles would voluntarily integrate themselves into the Russian Empire if given the choice and fair treatment.

For that reason he removed some restrictive laws, such as one that forbade use of the Polish language in schools, and dismissed the unpopular overseer of education system, Alexander Apuchtin.