Descended from nobility of the St Petersburg gubernia. Participated in the war with Turkey in 1877-1878.
In the autumn of 1914 appointed as commander of the Moscow military district and on 5 May 1915 as chief of the district and Chief Commander of Moscow. A decree of 21 May bestowed upon him the right to perform the duties which had previously been carried out by governor-generals in all institutions under their control, as well as to oversee the use of credits.
A dark page in the history of Yusupov's leadership was the anti-German riots of 27-29 May 1915. The office of the Moscow governor-general was flooded with letters from business owners, representatives from institutions and private individuals requesting compensation for the material damage inflicted upon them, which amounted to a rather sensible sum of money.
In the light of these events a curfew was announced in Moscow on 29 May 1915—from ten o'clock in the evening to five o'clock in the morning no city-dwellers were allowed to appear on street without special permits. The Chief Commander undertook measures to exclude the possibility of price rises for accommodation and basic foodstuffs and placed a ban on the production and sale of alcoholic drinks and preparations containing spirits.
In the autumn of 1915 the defeat of the imperial troops at the front, difficult material position of workers and the dissolution of the State Duma led to the situation in Moscow becoming even more heated. On 10 September 1915 martial law was declared in the city. Under these circumstances a more faithful hand was required, and Yusupov was "relieved of his post at his own request".
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