Petrov was born Afanasii Mikhailovich Shorokhov (Russian: Афанасий Миха́йлович Шорохов) on 15 February 1907 in Larikha [ru], Russia, in what is now Tyumen Oblast in central Siberia.

Even though a great number of his friends, colleagues, and superiors were arrested and executed, Petrov escaped unscathed.

[2] Having graduated from cipher clerk to full-fledged agent, Petrov was sent to Australia by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD)[citation needed] in 1951.

Petrov states in his memoirs (ghost written by Michael Thwaites) that his reasoning for defecting lay not in an imminent fear of being executed, but in his disillusionment with the Soviet system and his own experiences and knowledge of the terror and human suffering inflicted on the Soviet people by their government.

He witnessed the destruction of the Siberian village in which he was born, caused by forced collectivization and the famine which resulted.

[3] Petrov "enjoyed Australian rules football and rabbit shooting" while his wife did voluntary work for Meals on Wheels.

A private funeral was held, "attended only by his wife, a few friends, and ASIO officers" including former director-general Charles Spry.