Nikolay Turbin was born into a noble family on June 4 (16 O.S.) 1832 in
Yelets in
Oryol Oblast. At the age of 9, he entered the St. Petersburg Pavlovsk Cadet Corps. Turbin graduated from the Cadet Corps on August 13, 1852, having been appointed to the Jaegersky E. I. V. Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolayevich Regiment. In 1853, the Grenadier Regiment was transferred as ensign in the Life Guards and in 1854 he began to study at the Nikolayev Academy of the General Staff, from which he graduated in 1856. He was assigned to the General Staff and appointed to the service of the Governor-General and Commander of the troops of Eastern Siberia. In January 1858, he was promoted to headquarters captain with transfer to the General Staff. He was sent to inspect the
Chinese border and compile a systematic description of the
Irkutsk province. In 1859, Turbin headed the convoy of the Imperial Spiritual Mission to
Beijing. In 1862, Turbin returned to the European part of Russia: the division quartermaster of the
2nd Infantry Division (Russian Empire) (March-July 1862), the chief of staff of the 29th Infantry Division (August 1863 - January 1865), the chief of staff of the
30th Infantry Division (Russian Empire) (1865). During the Polish uprising, he was part of the forces of the
Vilna Military District (Russian Empire). He was promoted to colonel on August 30, 1865. From May 30, 1867, he was commander of the 61st Vladimir Infantry Regiment (until January 1877); in 1870 he was given the role of a director of the Mogilev Prison Guardianship Committee. From January 1877 to March 1889, he was Assistant Chief of Staff of the
Moscow Military District. During the campaign of 1877–1878, he was a member of the Commission for the preliminary censorship of telegrams received from the war before they were placed in Moscow newspapers. On January 1, 1878, he was promoted to Major General. He was the head of the Moscow military hospital (from April 29, 1887 to March 13, 1889). He became the commandant of the
Vyborg Castle (March 1889 – June 1891) and was promoted to lieutenant general on August 30, 1889. Head of the
25th Infantry Division (Russian Empire) (June 1891 – March 1896), assistant to the commander of the Priamursky Military District troops with the rank of chairman of the Provisional Administrative Commission for the construction of defensive and barracks premises in the Amur Region (March 1896 – July 1898), assistant commander of the Finland Military District ( May 1902 - April 1905), Member of the Military Council (from April 1905), Acting Finnish Governor-General, Member of the Military Council (July 1905 – January 1906). Dismissed by the general from infantry, with uniform and pension (January 1906). He was fond of archaeology and
numismatics. After the death of his wife, he raised two children. ==Archaeological surveys==