In 1894, after training, he was promoted to junior non-commissioned officer, and later that year was admitted to the Vilna military school, from which he graduated in 1896 as a podpraproshchik.

During this period he actively opposed the new regime, participating in general Kornilov's march on Petrograd and being in touch with Boris Savinkov and his Union for the Defense of the Motherland and Freedom.

After the defeat of the latter Goppers joined the ranks of the People's Army of Komuch, and eventually was assigned to the headquarters of the forces aligned with the Directory in Ufa.

In 1939, he received Scouting's Silver Wolf Award from the movement's founder, Robert Baden-Powell, for his leadership in Latvia.

He was sentenced to death after a show trial and on 25 March 1941, he was shot on NKVD premises 61 Brivibas Street, buried in the mass grave in Ulbroka (Stopiņi) together with other victims of the shooting.