Fyodor Truhin was born on 29 February 1896, in Kostroma. Truhin's father Ivan was the leader of the Kostroma Governorate's nobility, and served as a state councillor after retiring from his service in the 1st Grenadier Artillery Brigade in the rank of captain. His mother Nadezhda descended from the Tregubov noble family. Truhin graduated from primary school in 1906, enrolling into the 2nd Kostroma Gymnasium from which he graduated in 1914. During the course of his studies at the gymnasium Truhin became a member of a secret revolutionary organization. He then went on to study law at the Moscow State University, dropping out after finishing his second semester. In 1916, Truhin graduated from the 2nd Moscow Praporshchik School. In 1917, he became a soldier-elected battalion commander in the 46th Division of the Southwestern Front which fought in the First World War. During the course of the Russian Civil War, Truhin joined the Red Army, fighting on the Southwestern Front against the Ukrainian People's Republic, Poland and various insurgent bands. In November 1918, he was appointed commander of the Kostroma Reserve Cavalry Regiment, a year later he was transferred to the 363rd Rifle Regiment where he led a company. In July 1920, he became a battalion commander, taking over the 362nd Rifle Regiment in October. In January 1921, Truhin went on sick leave. In the meantime his father and older brother were executed for organizing an anti-Bolshevik uprising in the Kostroma Governorate.