Born to a peasant family, he moved to Petrograd and became a metalworker at the Putilov Plant, where he became a Red Guard squad leader and fought in the storming of the Winter Palace.
Lahir dari sebuah keluarga petani, ia berpindah ke Petrograd dan menjadi pekerja metal di Pabrik Putilov, dimana ia menjadi pemimpin skuat Pertahanan Merah dan bertarung di pertikaian Istana Musim Dingin.