In 1807, the fortress of Anapa was captured by Russian troops during the course of the Russo-Circassian War and Zanuqo was given as a hostage to the Russians by the local population.[3] He was then sent to Odessa, where he was educated in the Rishelevski Lyceum.[4] His service in the Russian army ended abruptly when he fled to the mountains after a personal conflict with his regiment's commander.[5] According to British adventurer James Stanislaus Bell he soon sailed to Egypt where he lived among the Circassian Mamluks until their fall from power. Whereupon he returned to his homeland and married a Nogai princess. At the time Anapa had been conquered by the Ottoman Empire, prompting Zanuqo to travel to Constantinople where he entered into Ottoman service.