A descendant of Kuban Cossacks, Lavrinenko finished his training at Ulyanovsk Tank Academy in May 1938.

On December 18, 1941, Lavrinenko was killed just after freeing the village of Goryuny and knocking out his 52nd tank.

Lavrinenko got out of his T-34 near the village and tried to reach the commander of the 17th Armoured Brigade, Lt Col N. Chernoyarov, in order to report his victory but he was killed by a German mortar shell fragment.

After the war Marshal Mikhail Katukov along with other high generals petitioned to give Lavrinenko Hero of the Soviet Union, yet he would not receive the highest award for another half a century.

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