[4] Antoshkin was born on 19 December 1942 in the village of Kuzminovka in the Bashkir Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

He worked as a worker in the repair and construction workshop and physical education instructor at the Kumertau Power Plant between 1960 and 1961.

He became a pilot, squadron chief of staff and flight leader in a separate reconnaissance aviation regiment in the Belorussian Military District.

Between 1969 and 1970 he was a flight commander in a separate reconnaissance aviation regiment in the Far Eastern Military District.

Between September 1975 and June 1979 Antoshkin led the 87th Separate Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment in the Turkestan Military District.

On 22 February 1977, Antoshkin was awarded the Order for Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR 3rd class.

In June 1979 he was transferred to command the 11th Separate Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany.

[3] In March 1985, Antoshkin became chief of staff of the Air Forces of the Kyiv Military District.

Immediately after the Chernobyl disaster, Antoshkin carried out a helicopter flyby of the plant on 26 April 1986.

Antoshkin organized, led, and flew with the helicopter group tasked with dropping "tons of sand, lead, and neutron-absorbing boron"[5] onto the crater of the reactor until 5 May, by which time the fire had been contained.

In August 1988 he was transferred to become commander of the Air Force of the Central Asian Military District at Almaty.

On 28 November 1991 he was awarded the Order for Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR 2nd class.