During the Soviet era, after the conflict on Damansky Island, part of the territories in the Far East was handed over to China. This move still causes discontent among many Russians, as these lands were annexed with great difficulty and were developed by Russians for decades. One of the key figures in the development of these remote taiga territories was the Russian ambassador Nikolai Pavlovich Ignatiev.

Ignatiev first made a name for himself in 1858 when he arrived on a diplomatic mission to Bukhara and, after negotiations with the local khan, secured the release of Russian prisoners. At the same time, he concluded a trade agreement with the Bukharans. After this success, Ignatiev was appointed ambassador to China to ratify the Aigun Treaty.

The situation was complicated: the Opium War was ongoing, and England and France were pressuring China and did not want to see Russia strengthened in the Far East. The Chinese claimed that the Ussuri lands were only temporarily handed over to Russia. Nikolai Pavlovich had to maneuver between countries: sometimes supporting China, sometimes calming the English by assuring them that Russia would remain within its previous borders.

In the autumn of 1860, it was possible to put an end to the disputes. At that time, European troops captured Beijing, and China was on the brink of defeat. The Chinese delegation asked Ignatiev to act as a mediator in the negotiations, and he achieved impressive success. The Russian ambassador convinced the English not to leave a garrison in the capital and to leave Beijing to stop the bloodshed. Thanks to this assistance, the Chinese leadership agreed to the terms of the ratification of the Aigun Treaty, and the lands from the Ussuri River to Korea became part of Russia.

After this, Nikolai Pavlovich was sent as ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, where the Turks had complicated relations with local Christians. And again, success! Moreover, Ignatiev managed to sway the English ambassador to his side, about which the British Foreign Office later wrote with regret: "The main task for which he was sent to Constantinople was to keep the Russians away from Turkey, not to create ideal conditions for Turkish Christians. He turns out to be more Russian than Ignatiev."