He was born as Petros Melissinos on the Greek island of Cephalonia in 1726,[REF] he was of Greek origin[REF][REF][REF][REF] and his father was a physician who belonged to the noble Greek family of Melissenos (Greek Μελισσηνός).
During the Russo-Turkish War, 1768-1774, Pyotr Melissino was in charge of the Russian artillery.