However, in 1914, the War broke out and he decided to fight the Germans alongside the French troops and was incorporated in the Russian Section. He fought until the Armistice in 1918 and was decorated twice for bravery at the front, saving wounded soldiers under heavy fire and taking them in his ambulance to Military Hospitals.

Meanwhile, the Russian Revolution had taken place in his country, he had lost everything there and consequently decided to remain in Paris. As his qualifications as a lawyer were not recognized in France, he turned to painting and joined the École des Beaux-Arts to improve his skill. He started frequenting various artists during this period, mainly Russian ones such as Charchoune but also worked with Le Fauconnier and was a friend of the Spanish artist Franscisco Bores.
He experimented various styles, Cubism in particular around the 1920's, which influenced him for still lifes such as Fruits in a Dish or Still Life with a pipe as well as some scenes like his Peasants at work or some portraits like Maroussia or the Selfportrait from 1925. He had great admiration for artists such as Chagall, Braque, and Matisse, whose influence is obvious in this Portrait of Olga or this still life with theSandstone pot. He had a gift in depicting facial expression and was renown for his portraits.
Of course, art was not enough to feed him so he had to take on difficult jobs such as driving a truck and manutentionning in les Halles (Paris's main market) at night, while he would paint during the day.

He was mentionned in various Art magazines in Paris such as "La Revue des Arts Modernes" and his works were selling mainly privately. They were also exhibited in Saint- Étienne and in galleries in Paris. He died in Paris on September 24 1950 after a long illness, having suffered from poison gas inhalation during the First World War, malnutrition and exhaustion during and after the Second World War.

He is buried in the Russian Cemetery at Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, just outside Paris.