The Russian eastward advance to the Pacific was conducted through Siberia. The Siberian region was sparsely populated and the inhabitants could not field enough men to block the Russian expansion. The southern edge of the Russian territorial claim adjoined the Khanates of Central Asia and the borders of Ming and later Manchu Dynasty China.

While Russian intentions toward the Khanates are covered in a separate article, the relations with the Chinese relied on a feeling of mutual respect between the powers. There was a brief period of turmoil between the Russians and Chinese over control of the Amur River in Manchuria during the 1680s. The countries eventually agreed to a border and maintained peaceful relations throughout the period.

The Russian explorers reached the Pacific and pushed across the northern Pacific to establish settlements in Alaska. A few explorers actually ventured further south along the American coast to establish trading posts as far south as the San Francisco Bay area. The relationship between the cultures was one of conquest and slavery. The practice of slavery was common among the aggressive coastal tribes but the Russians were ruthless in their methods of enslaving whole communities. The main enemies of the Russians in North America were the Aleuts and Tinglit tribes of the Alaskan region.(See the article on Northwest American native Nation tribes) In the end the Russians gave up their claim to the modern day California, Oregon, Washington areas early in the 1800s. Eventually they would even sell their claims in Alaska to the United States government.

Many of the tribes encountered in Siberia were splinter group descendants of the Mongols. These isolated tribes often could only field a few dozen warriors. As a result, those tribes that resisted Russian settlers often used ambush and raiding tactics. Some of the more warlike tribes, listed in the order in which they were encountered, were the Khanty, Mansi, Tungus, Evenks, Yakuts and Chukchi. All of these except the Chukchi were eventually conquered prior to the 1700s. The Russians fought the Chukchi in skirmishes and small scale battles for over a hundred years but was unable to subdue them prior to the 20th century.

While the Russians maintained a relative peaceful relationship with the Chinese, there was almost always friction with the Japanese. There were frequent trading rights disputes between the powers. As the Japanese expanded their influence onto mainland Asia at the expense of the Koreans and Chinese, the disputes with the Russians became territorial in nature. These problems culminated in the Russo-Japanese War at the beginning of the 20th century.

Russia's Manifest Destiny 19th Century Expansion

Introduction
Russian Campaigns During Their Southern and Eastward Expansion: Including Events of their Siberian Advance
Russia’s Oriental Gamble: Notes on the Push to the Pacific
Russia’s Taming of the East: Operations Against the Khanates of Central Asia
Chronology of the Russian Campaigns into Central Asia 1839-1884
Sources
Miniature Castings For the Various Russian Wars