At the start of World War I he became a staff officer in the 4th Corps of the Caucasus Army.
In 1916 he commanded the 18th Dragoon Seversky Regiment, and in 1917 attained the rank of major general.
After the White Russians evacuated Crimea, he spent a few years teaching military history in Bela Crkva, Kingdom of Yugoslavia.
In the Chaco War he helped organize the defense of Nanawa alongside fellow Russian émigré general Juan Belaieff.
[1] During the Korean War he helped recruit Russian emigrants for the US Army.