Educated in chemistry and veterinary at the universities of Saint Petersburg and Halle-Wittenberg, Zubov implemented innovative agricultural methods in the large estates that he inherited around Šiauliai.

He transformed Ginkūnai Manor into a modern farm operation and was the first to import Danish Red cows.

During one such gatherings in Zubov's Dabikinė Manor, Povilas Višinskis and others founded the Lithuanian Democratic Party in 1902.

After the Third Partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, Platon Zubov, one of the favorites of Empress Catherine the Great, was gifted former lands of the Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1795.

[1] These territories were inherited by Platon's brother Dmitry [ru] who moved to live in Šiauliai where his great-grandson Vladimir Zubov was born on 13 February 1862 to the family of Nikolai [lt] and Alexandra Zubov [lt] (daughter of Vasily Olsufiev [ru]).

Eventually, he rejected revolutionary path and chose slower and steadier evolutionary activities.

[8] Due to their influence, the exhibitions were more relevant to Lithuanian peasants[9] and featured performances by the Varpas Society of which Zubov was a member.

[2] During one such gatherings in Zubov's Dabikinė Manor, Povilas Višinskis and others founded the Lithuanian Democratic Party in October 1902.

[11] In August 1905, during the Russian Revolution, Ginkūnai hosted a gathering of Draugas Society (Friend) organized by Vincas Kapsukas.

The society resolved to mount armed resistance against the Tsarist government and organize worker strikes.

[12] The notable activists who sought refuge in Zubov's estates included Józef Piłsudski[2] and Vincas Kapsukas who escaped deportation and was hiding from the Tsarist police in 1914.

[13] His manor was also a meeting place for Polish revolutionaries from Warsaw, Moscow and St. Petersburg: Ludwik Waryński, Stanisław Narutowicz and Tadeusz Rechniewski, among others, gathered there.

[8] In 1911, with 10,400 rubles worth of declared real estate in the city, Zubov was the wealthiest duma member.

[8] Zubov and his wife Sofija Bilevičiūtė-Zubovienė established six primary schools for manor workers and peasants.

It meant that they had to teach according to the Russian government curriculum, but the schools secretly taught Lithuanian language, history, and geography.

Zubovs invited Lithuanian teachers, including Jadvyga Juškytė, and paid them a generous salary.

[2] In 1910, Rygos garsas reported that Zubovs maintained six primary schools with eight teachers attended for free by 300 students.