Anatoly Biryukov was born on February 18, 1939, in Lopasnya, Moscow Oblast, RSFSR. His father, Nikolai Biryukov, was a decorated Hero of the Soviet Union and served as a General in the Soviet Army during World War II. Despite his father's esteemed military background, Anatoly's early life was marked by personal challenges. At the age of eight, he suffered severe injuries from an accident involving an explosive device, which left him with significant facial and bodily scars. This incident contributed to social difficulties during his school years, where he was often isolated and lacked close friendships.​

As an adult, Biryukov married and had children. He worked as a mechanic after completing his education. However, his personal life was troubled. In 1971, he attempted to abduct a baby but was caught and claimed it was a prank, resulting in a minor penalty. A year later, he made another attempt, leading to a three-year prison sentence for theft. During his incarceration, his wife divorced him. After his release, Biryukov resumed work as a mechanic until his arrest in 1977.​

Anatoly Nikolaevich Biryukov committed a series of gruesome murders of infants in Moscow in 1977. He kidnapped his first victim on September 16, when he took a stroller that was left unattended outside an infant formula store. Later that day, the empty stroller was found, and the baby was discovered dead in a hallway of an apartment building nearby.

Just three days later, on September 19, Biryukov kidnapped a second victim, a three-month-old girl, from in front of the Children's World store on Prospekt Mira. As the authorities began their investigation, they suspected that the two cases might be connected, leading to a large-scale operation to find the missing baby. On October 17, the body of this second victim was located in a landfill near Mamyrov, showing signs of having been sexually assaulted before her death.

Biryukov's actions did not stop there. On October 24, 1977, he attempted another kidnapping in Chekhov, a city south of Moscow. Citizens chased him down, describing him to the police, leading to his arrest. Investigators attributed three additional infant murders to Biryukov, believed to have taken place before he was caught.

In 1978, Biryukov was convicted for the five murders and sentenced to death. He even tried to take his own life while in detention. His sentence was contested but ultimately upheld by the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR. He was executed by firing squad on February 24, 1979.