In a late 2006 interview, Andrey said he was the younger son of working-class parents and that he got into athletics as a boy, inspired by the triple-jumping exploits of an older brother.

[3] Silnov's first major outdoor competition of 2011 was at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday 4 June.

In December 2016, Silnov stood to be president of the Russian Athletics Federation (RusAF), but lost the election by 36 votes to 31 to Dmitry Shlyakhtin so took the position of first vice-president instead.

In June 2019, Silnov stood down from his position as vice president as he was under investigation for a possible anti-doping rule violation.

[5] In 2023, he was seen awarding athletes at a Russian domestic competition for which the World Anti-Doping Agency extended his ban for a further year.