In 1977 he graduated from the Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radioelectronics, becoming a radio engineer.

In 1992, he received a diploma of political science at the Belarusian State University.

Following the 1991 declaration of independence of Belarus, he joined the newly-formed Party of Belarusian Communists.

[4][5][6] Following his defeat in the 2006 opposition primary, he assisted the ultimately-unsuccessful campaign of Alaksandar Milinkievič against incumbent Alexander Lukashenko.

[7] Kalyakin supported the Russian occupation of Crimea, saying that Russia defended people which it considers to be its potential citizens.