valentin koptyug was born in 1931 in yukhnov in the family of afanasy koptyug, who was director of the local communication department, and nadezhda koptyug, who was a telegrapher. when young koptyug was studying in school, his family had to evacuate because of great patriotic war. in 1949 he finished school in samarkand and graduated from d. mendeleev university of chemical technology of russia in 1954 in moscow.