Rodin was born on 17 February 1902 in Zuyevo village in Tver Governorate to a peasant family. In April 1920, he was drafted into the Red Army. Rodin fought in the Russian Civil War on the Southern Front in the Kuban and in the Caucasus. He served with a separate cavalry division in the 9th Army. In December 1920, the division was reorganized into the 2nd Cavalry Regiment of the 31st Rifle Division, where Rodin served as a senior clerk. The division took part in the suppression of partisan groups in the Kuban and Caucasus. In February 1921, Rodin became adjutant of the escort unit of the 9th Army's Revolutionary Military Council.