hiː fˈɔːt ɪnðə ɹˈʌʃən ˈɑːɹmi fɹʌm nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹtiːn tə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪkstiːn dˈʊɹɹɪŋ wˈɜːld wˈɔːɹ ˈaɪ. ɪn lˈeɪt nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪkstiːn, hiː wʌz sˈɛnt tə ðə tæʃkˈɛnt pɹˈæpoːɹʃtʃˌɪks skˈuːl.
He fought in the Russian army from 1914 to 1916 during World War I. In late 1916, he was sent to the Tashkent Praporshchiks school.