[1] Vsevolod Starosselsky was born into the family of Russian general Dmitry Staroselsky and Georgian princess Ekaterina Guramishvili (Guramova).
He fought in the Savage Division during World War I and was given command of the Kabarda Cavalry Regiment and promoted to the rank of colonel in 1916.
In this role, Starosselsky was helped by the Iranian officer Reza Khan, the future shah of Iran, and tacitly supported by the United Kingdom.
As historian Stephanie Cronin states, Staroselsky's primary objective in seizing command of and consolidating the Brigade after the chaos of 1917 was to preserve an instrument of Imperial Russian power in Iran while awaiting the victory of the Whites in the civil war.
In October 1920, Starosselsky's positions were further undermined by the arrival of Edmund Ironside, who took command of the British forces in Iran.