Wassilij Ivanvocih Agapkin was born in Shantchevo, Russia on February 3, 1884, and became an orphan at the age of eight. He was ac ... 1122 additonal characters for paid subscriptions ... luded in a scene in the Russian film The Cranes Fly. This propelled the march into newfound popularity. Agapkin died on October 29, 1964.