Ryazan Governorate
Zhilinsky was born on March 15, 1853 in Mikhaylov in the Ryazan Governorate. His family was of nobility from the Smolensk Governorate, and he was born to Colonel Grigori I. Zhilinsky and Catherine Petrovna (née Muromtseva). He was of Polish descent. In an early age, he attended the Gymnasium Creiman in Moscow.