Khabarovsk: Where Russia Meets the East

Khabarovsk was founded in 1858 as a military outpost following the Treaty of Aigun, which transferred control of the Amur region from Qing China to the Russian Empire. Named after the 17th-century explorer Erofey Khabarov, the city quickly became a strategic stronghold in Russia's push eastward. Its location on the high banks of the Amur River, near the confluence with the Ussuri, made it a vital node for defense, trade, and transportation.

By the early 20th century, Khabarovsk had grown into a regional administrative center. During the Soviet era, it developed into a major industrial and military hub, hosting factories, airbases, and cultural institutions. Its proximity to China gave it geopolitical weight, especially during Cold War tensions and border disputes. Today, it remains the capital of Khabarovsk Krai, with a population of over 600,000, and serves as a key gateway to the Pacific.

The city's architecture reflects its layered history: Orthodox churches, Stalinist facades, and modern glass towers coexist along leafy boulevards. Museums showcase indigenous cultures, imperial expeditions, and wartime resilience. The Amur River, wide and commanding, flows past the city like a living artery of memory and power.

And for me, Khabarovsk was a tiny city at the edge of nowhere, far, far in the Far East on the boundary with China — a tiny, yet powerful Russian outpost, a symbol of the resilience of the Russian nation perched on a high bank above a mighty river.