Russian military leader, Lieutenant-General and one of the closest associates of Georgi Zhukov. He was born in Buturlinovka, now the city of Voronezh region. His father worked as a postal official. Kryukov participated in the First World War, where he fought on the Western Front as an assistant company commander. Last imperial army rank lieutenant, since 1918, he served in the Red Army. In 1924 he graduated from the Department of senior commanders at the Higher School of Cavalry in 1932 - 1st year of the Military Academy named after M.V. Frunze. He worked as the chief operations officer of Staff of the 6th Cavalry Division, then commanded the 20th Cavalry Regiment of the Red Banner, and from March 1933 to July 1937 commanded Georgy Zhukov. From February 1940, he took part in the Russo-Finnish War as commander of the 306th Infantry Regiment, and from May 1940 served as the commander of the 8th Infantry Brigade. From January 12 to February 3 1942 Kryukov commanded the 10th Cavalry Corps, to March 6 of that year, commanded the 2nd Guards Cavalry Corps. On July 1944, order of the commander of the 1st Byelorussian Front, he was appointed commander of the mechanized cavalry group Front (2nd Guards Cavalry and the 11th Tank Corps), received an order to force the Western Bug and move the Soviet-Polish border. In 1948 he was arrested in Moscow for "trophy case". After 10 days in Kazan, his wife was arrested. The official charge was "looting and appropriation of property captured on a large scale," namely, that at the end of the war, General Hooks moved himself to Moscow furniture, paintings, jewelry. On November 1951 he was convicted to imprisonment in a labor camp for 25 years, with deprivation of medals.