Viktor Berestovoy was born into the family of a collective farmer on 9 May 1948 in the village of Garbuzovo, Alexeyevsky District, Voronezh Oblast.

Berestovoy began his career in 1967 as the head of a car maintenance station in the Rakityanskiy regional association "Selkhoztekhnika", in Belgorod Oblast.

From 1979 to 1981, he was promoted as the chairman of the 40 years of October collective farm in the Alekseyevsky District of Belgorod Oblast.

On 11 October 1993, Berestovoy was removed from the post of Governor of Belgorod Oblast for failure to comply with presidential decrees and government orders, for obstructing the exercise of electoral rights of citizens.

[2] From 1996 to 1997, he was the head of the inspection of the Accounts Chamber of Russia for control over the expenditure of federal budget funds in industry and energy.

From January to July 1998, Berestovoy was the Chairman of the State Committee of the Russian Federation for Ensuring Monopoly on Alcoholic Products.