瓦西利·柴拉夫列夫，Vasily Zhuravlyov was born in the city of Ryazan in the Ryazan district in the Russian Empire on August 2, 1904. His father was an accountant, publicist and writer. Though still only in his late teens, Zhuravlyov served as a driver and security officer in the civil war following the communist revolution in 1917.