Союз художников СССР
In 1978, Pogrebinsky entered The Academy of Fine Art of the USSR, from which he received his Ph.D in Fine Art in 1984. During 1978, Pogrebinsky was also accepted into both the USSR Union of Artists, and the USSR Academy of Arts. Though Pogrebinsky was successful, he refused to join the Communist Party of the USSR, which could have given him even more success. While studying at the Academy, Pogrebinsky worked in the studio of Sergei Alexievich Grigoriev, who was also an Academician and a People's Artist of the USSR. At the Academy, Pogrebinsky worked under the supervision of Aleksei Gritsai.