Nikolai Vasilyevich Vyrybov was born in Oryol in Tsarist Russia, and at the age of nine, he was taken abroad. Of his 94 years, he spent 86 in France, where he became a knight of the Legion of Honor, a diplomat, and a prominent figure in the Russian emigration. Life in France was much easier than in the USSR, where Vyrybov sometimes had only soup with a piece of stale bread for dinner. His father wanted him to become a banker and sent him to study at Oxford, but the war changed all plans. In September 1939, World War II began, and everything collapsed: bombings, blackouts, rationed food. "It became frightening and uncomfortable," recalled Nikolai Vasilyevich. He tried to enlist as a volunteer in the British Army, but due to his status as a stateless person, he was denied.

In 1940, in London, Vyrybov joined the "Free France" movement under the pseudonym de Fleury. Alongside him, 35,000 other émigrés fought against the fascists. Vyrybov participated in battles in Tunisia, Libya, southern France, and Italy, was wounded twice, but returned to duty. He became the only Russian émigré to be awarded all the highest military honors of France.

Interestingly, Nikolai Vasilyevich was friends with Anna Marly, the announcer of the underground radio station "Radio Rodina." He suggested her a few lines for the famous "Partisan March." Officially, Maurice Druon is also listed as a co-author of the composition. The name of Nikolai Vyrybov as a hero of France was inscribed on the marble bas-relief of the Invalides Memorial. In 2009, he was bid farewell by President Nicolas Sarkozy, government members, and representatives of the Russian embassy.