In June 1941, Sabaneev graduated with excellent grades in all subjects, with the Summer holidays shortly after. Having escorted his father to the front, he wanted (like many others who were spurred to action) to help in the war effort, and he entered a Moscow Plant to combine work with studying at an evening machine tool technical school. Following the death of his father, in 1944 (when he turned 17), he entered the secondary Naval School in the city of Vyborg, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland. 

In 1947, whilst meeting with his friends in Leningrad, he met Valentina Nikolaevna Smirnova, who would later become his wife. They decided, at the end of summer, to go to the registry office in Leningrad to apply for marriage, and they eventually married after he graduated as a lieutenant. They moved to Kronstadt, where they had a daughter and then a son, afterwards. He did not have much opportunity to visit his family, which did not bother Valentina, as he was busy studying. 

At the time of their first child, he was also not present, as he was on a business trip, where he sent anxious letters showing a desire to help. 

He wanted, contrary to typical expectations of men of the time, a daughter, and that is exactly what he received when his daughter, Lyudmila, was born. A few years later, a son, Dima, was also born.

In 1953, he began studies at the Military-Political Academy named after Lenin, which forced him to leave his family to study. In 1957, he graduated from the academy, and he made many friends in the Baltic Fleet, where he served as assistant to the head of the Political Department. 

In 1966, he entered the Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, which allowed him and his family to live in Moscow for the two years where he was there. His wife, at that time, was working in an Academic Library, and her children (who were at this point grown up) moved on to study at college or at the Higher Naval School. He was a very intelligent and talented man, having been brilliantly educated, and this was reflected by his consistent mastery of naval courses and his excellent grades. 

In 1968, he was awarded the rank of Captain of the 1st Rank, as he graduated from the Academy of the General Staff. With that promotion, he was appointed the head of the political department of the unit in Kronstadt, where he had begun his naval career. In 1973, he was made Rear Admiral, and this was around the same time that his son had two children of his own, both boys. He was known to be extremely jubilant when his grandchildren were born, rejoicing in meeting them. 

In 1974, he was appointed to the position of First Deputy Head of the Political Department of the Navy, which meant he moved to and lived in Moscow. His superior, Admiral V. G. Grishanov, was a similarly talented and experienced political worker. He remained there for two years, before he was assigned to the Pacific Fleet, which meant he moved to Vladivostok. 

This was the last place he served as a member of the Military Council. He had been made Head of the Political Department of the Pacific Fleet, and he was made Vice Admiral. This was a significant role because of the scale of the work which was undertaken by the Pacific Fleet, mainly due to their proximity to the United States which was considered a threat at that time. However, this did not get in the way of his love for his wife, as he always remained the same devoted husband who brought her flowers and would write poetry for her. 

He enjoyed swimming and chess, and he would often participate in naval tournaments and even led the Navy team at the 3rd Fleet tournament between the GDR, Poland and the USSR. His wife was proud of his success, but never wanted him to leave home. He, however, always found time to call her and, in the evening, he would always remark about how good it was to be home.