 Nyora kupfuurira kweiyi ndima - Pyotr Afanasievich akaberekwa muna 1772 mumhuri yekare yeRussia yePapkovs muYekaterinoslav Governorate. Ndira 1, 1784 akanyoresa muTaganrog dragoon regiment sa cavalry sergeant-major вахмистр. Muna 1787, Papkov akaendeswa kuAstrakhan dragoon regiment aine chinzvimbo che cadet, uye muna 1790 muTiflis musketeer regiment aine chinzvimbo che aide-de-camp. Munguva yeRusso-Turkish War, 1787-1792, regiment yaPapkov yakabatanidzwa mukurwisa Anapa pasi pemutungamiri weGeneral-en-chef Ivan Gudovich. Nokuda kwaAnapa Pyotr Papkov akasimudzirwa kuva sub-poruchik. Kubva musi waApril 28, 1796 Papkov akanga ari muPersia, uye akapinda muPersian Expedition ya1796, achitora chikamu mukukombwa kweDerbent nemamwe mabasa anokosha emushandirapamwe. Nokuda kwePersian Expedition akasimudzirwa kuva poruchik uye gore rimwe gare gare kuva kaputeni. Akasiya basa rake muna 1798, asi akanyoresa zvakare muna Kubvumbi 1799 mubato remapurisa reLeib Guards. Paul I weRussia akashongedza Papkov neOrder yeSt. John yeJerusarema орден Св. Иоанна Иерусалимского musi waAugust 3, 1800, uye akasimudzirwa pachinzvimbo checolonel musi waOctober 8, 1800. Muna 1803 akarayira makambani epontoon artillery, gare gare ponton artillery regiment. Kubvira muna 1806, Papkov akashanda semukuru-mukuru we14th artillery brigade, iyo yaakapinda nayo muhondo yeGutstadt, Hondo yeHeilsberguye Hondo yeFriedland, yakashongedzwa nePrussia order For Merits, uye musi waZvita 21, 1807 akasiya basa remauto aine chinzvimbo che meya-general. 