He was awarded the Gold Sword for Bravery in the campaigns against the Caucasus War in 1864 and was promoted to colonel in 1867 and commander of the Kabardian 80th Infantry Regiment.

In 1877, Batyanov was promoted to major general, and the following year received command of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Grenadier Division.

He introduced many innovations, including rapid-fire weapons (machine guns) and new tactics, placing strong emphasis on modernization of training.

For this, he earned the strong disapproval of his superior, General Mikhail Dragomirov, who forced Batyanov into the reserves.

During the Russo-Japanese War, he was appointed commander of the Third Manchuria Army in May 1905,[1] replacing General Alexandr von Bilderling after the Battle of Mukden.