hiː wʌz bˈɔːɹn ɪn sˈeɪnt pˈiːɾɚzbˌɜːɡ tʊ ɐn əfˈɪʃəlz fˈæmɪli ænd ɡɹˈædjuːˌeɪɾᵻd fɹʌmðə sˈɛkənd sˈeɪnt pˈiːɾɚzbˌɜːɡ dʒɪmnˈeɪsiəm ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd tˈuː.
He was born in Saint Petersburg to an official's family and graduated from The Second Saint Petersburg Gymnasium in 1902.