Yakunin was born in Zakharovo in Gus-Khrustalny District of Vladimir Oblast. Аccording to another source, in Melenki, Vladimir Oblast He mentioned that he’s been to the village of his birth only twice: when he was born and once more when he visited his grandparents. Until the age of 14 he was living in Pärnu, Estonia. His father was a pilot of the USSR Border Troops. His mother was an accountant. In 1964 his father demobilized and the family moved to Leningrad, which Vladimir Ivanovich refers to as his home town.