Lyudnikov became a VKSLM (Russian Young Communist League) member in 1919, elected by personnel of the 1st Cavalry Regiment.

He fought against the White Army led by Alexey Kaledin, Anton Denikin and Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War between 1918 and 1922.

Occupying the Korosten fortified area(in Russian), they, along with other units, made numerous flank attacks on the 6th German Army aiming at Kiev.

On 12 September, the division and its staff was attacked from the air, as a result Lyudnikov was wounded seriously in the head and his feet were broken.

On 1 June 1943, Lyudnikov was appointed commander of the 15th guard infantry division, carried out his orders on defence and then changed to counterattack.

Kaunas was liberated on 1 August and the army came to the Raseiniai–Suwałki line, positions suitable to defense north of Neman at the borders of East Prussia.

Lyudnikov's forces received the tactical task of capturing the well-equipped town of Tauragė, which allowed them to block the enemy's main path from Tilsit across the Neman.

Ivan Chernyakhovsky, commander of the 3rd Belorussian Front, set the tactical task to 39 Army that put it into operation on the second day of attack in the direction of Kudirkos Naumiestis, Pilkallen, Hensnishkenen.

As the advance began to fade, Lyudnikov decided to carry all tanks and self-propelled guns south of Pilkallen, a direction considered secondary.

The tanks were given the task of breaking through the defence line and carrying out the advance, while infantry had to apply all efforts to pressure the enemy and develop a victory.

Sleet and snow prevented starting the attack in the morning; the weather calmed by 16:00 hours, and the tanks made advance and by 22:00, gaining 12–16 km (7.5–9.9 mi).

A breach was formed, and on 17 January 1945, the 5 Guard and 94th Infantry corps broke through the Gumbinnen defence line and entered cities of Pilkallen and Hensnishkenen.

Lyudnikov received the task of creating the fortified defence line, made a roundabout way from the north, then from the west, and reached the Baltic sea, separating it from the German forces.

[1] In 1995, Armenia issued a postage stamp depicting 390th Rifle Division commanders Simon Zakian, Hamazasp Babadzhanian and Lyudnikov.

An informational memorial board was placed at the beginning of the Avenue, with a bas-relief of Ivan Lyudnikov, Hero of the Soviet Union.

Memorial ensemble "Ostrov Lyudnikova" in Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad) is situated at the territory of Lower Barrikady settlement.

Great autonomous trawler-freezer, constructed on 7 October 1982 and was received by the ocean fishbreeding base of the Sovetskaya Gavan in 1983.[relevant?]

A memorial board was placed, in October 2015, on the house at the crossing of Dmitry Ulyanov street(in Russian) and Leninsky Avenue where I.Lyudnikov was living from 1950 to 1976.

The book was written by Alexei Andreyevich Popov and Viktor Nikolayevich Beschastny, two Donetsk Oblast historians.