He was born February 7, 1928 in the village of Bar-Sloboda, Sursky District, Ulyanovsk Oblast.

From 1983-1988 he was Chief of Staff of the 1st Deputy Commander of the Troops of the Moscow Air Defense District.

In 1988, he retired as a colonel-general and worked as a consultant of the Historical Archive and Military Memorial Center of the General Staff.

His son Alexander Gorkov (born January 10, 1953) is a retired lieutenant general.

[2] His daughter Tatiana Yurievna Gorkova,[3] is the dean of the economic faculty at Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, the Head of the Department of Finance and Investments, a professor, and has a Doctor of Economic Sciences.