He led the Soviet men's national volleyball team to gold medals at the 1978 FIVB World Championship in Italy, 1982 FIVB World Championship in Argentina, and the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.

[1] Platonov played volleyball for the Russian club teams SKIF, SKA, and Spartak from 1954 to 1967.

[1] Platonov coached several clubs, notably Automobilist Leningrad, leading them to USSR Championship titles in 1983 and 1989.

[1] For his extraordinary achievements as a coach, Platonov was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2002.

[1] Platonov's father was killed during World War II in Kharkiv, Ukraine.