Vitaly Elizariev, Russian Geographical Society, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia. E-mail: vn_sakh@mail.ru.
In the previous issues of "Russia and the Pacific" (No. 2, 2024; No.1, 2025), the author published two papers devoted to V.D. Poyarkov’s campaign to the "Piebald Horde". Based on official documents and archival sources, the papers analyzed existing contradictions in the presentation of the events related to the search for a silver ore deposit along the route indicated by the Tungus shaman Tomkaney in the instruction memory of the Yakut voivode P.P. Golovin. Armed clashes with indigenous peoples and the consequences of the besieged wintering of V.D. Poyarkov’s detachment on the Zeya River made it impossible for the Russian Cossacks to continue fulfilling the tasks of the "silver expedition". With the arrival of newly built vessels in May 1644, V.D. Poyarkov, based on capabilities of his detachment, was forced to choose a new route for returning to Yakutsk. This route along the Zeya and Amur Rivers, another wintering among Gilyak settlements in the lower Amur, followed by a passage into the Sea of Okhotsk and movement along the coastline to the winter quarters of I.Yu. Moskvitin on the Ulya River, became one of the most important historical events of the 17th century. Based on archival materials, the paper reveals the features of traversing this route and the historical significance of the results of V.D. Poyarkov's campaign for Russia.
Keywords: V.D. Poyarkov, Zeya River, Amur River, Amur Mouth, Sea of Okhotsk, Sakhalin Island

Konstantin Zyuzin, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia. E-mail: zyuzinconstantine@yandex.ru.
The paper is devoted to the role of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER) in the development of Russian trade in Manchuria before the First World War. The work examines the validity of the thesis about the underdevelopment of Russian trade in Manchuria as a consequence of the unsuccessful tariff (freight charges) system of the railway. The study uses quantitative data: statistics on the transportation of commercial goods along the CER as well as materials from the "Collection of Tariffs of Russian Railways", which make it possible to calculate the cost of transporting goods in Manchuria with precision down to the last kopeck and to trace their dynamics. The CER’s assistance to the development of domestic exports to Manchuria can be conditionally divided into two components. Firstly, these were measures to reduce the cost of transporting domestic goods from European Russia and Siberia to Manchuria. The railway quite consistently implemented this task, and the volume of export trade between Russia and North-Eastern China was growing slowly but steadily between 1903 and 1913. Secondly, the CER was faced with the task of preventing the import of foreign goods to the regional market, mainly by setting high freight rates for freight transportation by rail within Manchuria. The effectiveness of the CER’s corresponding measures, however, depended entirely on the railway only during the pre-war period; after the end of the RussoJapanese War, the volume of imported foreign goods into the Russian sphere of influence in Northern Manchuria grew rapidly. This situation was largely due not to the "incorrect" tariff policy of the CER but to factors beyond the control of the railway. The loss of the ports in the Yellow Sea, which played a key role in supplying all of Manchuria in general, and the start of Japan’s exploitation of the South Manchurian Railway led to a significant reduction in the CER’s ability to control commodity flows in the region.
Keywords: Russian Empire, Manchuria, Chinese Eastern Railway, South Manchurian Railway, Russian-Chinese trade, railway statistics.

Sergey Savchenko, Khabarovsk Regional Museum Named after N.I. Grodekov, Khabarovsk, Russia. E-mail: swcos@mail.ru.
Timofey Sivakov, State Archive of the Khabarovsk Territory, Khabarovsk, Russia. E-mail: tim-sivok@mail.ru.
The purpose of the paper is to consider military-organizational measures for the demobilization of the Ussuri Cossack Division and the combat units of the Trans-Baikal, Amur and Ussuri Cossack Hosts that were part of it between late 1917 and early 1918. The authors set the following tasks: to determine the actions of the Soviet government to demobilize the army, to identify the sequence of decisions by the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief to withdraw the Ussuri Cossack Division from the army to the Far East, to establish the order of movement and timelines for arrival of the Cossacks to their hosts, to consider the measures of military governments and local Soviet authorities to demobilize and disband Cossack units and divisional headquarters. It was concluded that due to the military-political and economic reasons that had developed in Russia by the end of 1917, the Soviet government was forced to meet the demands for sending Cossacks to their hosts. The units of the Ussuri Cossack Division were also withdrawn from the active army and placed under the authority of the commanders of their military districts and the Cossack atamans. Upon arrival at their home garrisons and following the disbandment, the Cossack combat units were reduced to peacetime establishment in accordance with decrees issued by the military districts. After the Far Eastern Cossack hosts recognized Soviet power, their combat units were liquidated, and the Cossack hosts were abolished.
Keywords: World War I, demobilization, Ussuri Cossack Division, Priamur Military District, Military Commissariat of the Far Eastern Regional Committee of Soviets.

Vadim Zemlyanskiy, Federal State Institution "Information, Historical and Scientific Center - The Historical Military Library of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation", Saint Petersburg, Russia. E-mail: groningen1991@gmail.com.
The paper examines the deputy corps of the first Far Eastern parliament - the Provisional People’s Assembly of the Far East. The author set the following objectives: to examine the system of election and recall of parliamentarians, to determine the number of people experienced in parliamentary activity as well as the composition of the blocs and factions of the People’s Assembly. The paper includes the materials from Russian archives and periodicals introduced into scientific discourse for the first time. It was planned that the parliament, convened with the aim of ending the Civil War in the Russian Far East and uniting the Far Eastern regions into a single state entity, would represent the interests of all residents of the region. The electoral regulations for the People’s Assembly introduced a mixed system for electing deputies from five "curiae": residents of cities and towns, rural areas, trade and industrial organizations, industrial and professional unions, and political parties. Due to the refusal of the governments in Verkhneudinsk, Chita and Blagoveshchensk to send representatives to the People’s Assembly, the latter was transformed into the Primorye parliament. Elections in the Primorye Region were held in all "curiae". More than 90% of the deputies of the People’s Assembly consisted of parliamentarians elected by the population of the Primorye Region. In total, 199 people were in the People’s Assembly. The blocs and factions represented all significant political forces of Primorye. For the first time in the history of the region, its residents independently determined the fate of the Far East through elected deputies. As a result of their decisions, the Primorye Region remained under Russian control during the intervention.
Keywords: Provisional People’s Assembly of the Far East, parliamentarism, Primorye Region, Civil War in the Russian Far East in 1918-1922.

Boris Kondratenko, Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology of the Peoples of the Far East, FEB RAS, Russian State Historical Archive of the Far East, Vladivostok, Russia. E-mail: kpe.kob@mail.ru.
This paper analyzes the memoirs of veterans of the Great Patriotic War, which are grouped according to institutional and social categories. This approach enables the identification of both shared and individual events recalled by the participants of those tragic events. Each group of veterans perceived the war differently - from the soldiers’ trenches to frontline and army headquarters where strategic decisions were made. The core group - Red Army soldiers - didn’t like to talk about the war, tended to offer terse, fragmentary recollections that left the strongest impressions. Eighty years after Victory, the relevance of studying veterans’ memoirs continues to grow. The war changed the destinies of millions and left a permanent mark on several generations. The study of veterans’ memoirs contributes to shaping the historical memory of the population. A comprehensive analysis of memoirs provides a fundamental basis for countering the falsification of the history of the Great Patriotic War. These memoirs are a valuable historical source that provide insight into how people are transformed by the extraordinary circumstances of war. War permanently transforms an individual, and such events become turning points in the life of every person regardless of rank or position.
Keywords: Great Patriotic War, memoirs, war participants, frontline soldiers, home front workers, Victory.

Alexandr Petukhov, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia. E-mail: petukhov.as@dvfu.ru.
The paper identifies the main approaches to key issues in the relationship between the spiritual and secular authorities in the Spanish Philippines from 1565 until 1826 in the works of English-speaking and Russian researchers. English-language historiography demonstrates the evolutionary development of views on the role of the Catholic Church in Philippine history, starting with biased works and gradually moving toward objective ones. Attention is paid to the prerequisites, causes and spheres of the confrontation between the Catholic Church and other actors on the political stage of Manila and beyond as well as the role of this confrontation in the history of the archipelago. The main works of J.L. Phelan and J.N. Schumacher, which influenced subsequent research within this field, are of central importance. In their studies the struggle between the church and the state in the Philippines is considered as an integral part of the Spanish colonial system, ensuring the balance of political forces in a remote colony and avoiding the enormous costs of maintaining a military presence. In the paper the contribution of Russian historians to the study of the problem is emphasized. They thoroughly examined the economic aspects of the prerequisites of the confrontation and the power of the Catholic Church in the archipelago but retained only a negative assessment of the consequences of the established system. The paper outlines unresolved issues within the framework of the problem and highlights promising directions for future research.
Keywords: Philippines, Catholic Church, Spanish Empire, frailocracy.

Alexander Alepko, Pacific State University, Khabarovsk, Russia. E-mail: alexandr.alepko@yandex.ru.
This paper analyzes the process of studying issues related to the Japanese occupation of the Philippine archipelago during World War II by Filipino historians. It evaluates the main research trends in this area that have emerged in modern Philippine historiography. It presents the opinions of Filipino historians on the nature and results of combat operations by Philippine-American forces during the initial period of the Japanese occupation of the archipelago. Scholars cite the insufficient tactical training and archaic weaponry of the Filipino troops, the lack of equipped defensive positions, food shortages, and strategic miscalculations of the USAFFE command as the reasons for the victories of the Imperial Japanese Army units. Philippine historiography also examines the socioeconomic development of the country during the occupation. Most historians argue that Japanese state rhetoric justified the occupation by Japan’s "fraternal solidarity" with Asian nations. Historians believe Japan’s proclamation of the Second Philippine Republic was aimed at winning the trust of the Filipino people. Attention was drawn to the dire economic situation of the Filipino people and the cruelty and atrocities committed by the Japanese invaders. It was this factor, according to Philippine historiography, that predetermined the mass guerrilla movement in the country. Historians highlight the role of the Communist Party of the Philippines, whose leaders were able to create the Hukbalahap, an anti-Japanese liberation army that achieved significant success in the armed struggle against the occupiers. The events of the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, according to representatives of Philippine historical science, demonstrated the valor and courage of the people in the struggle for freedom and predetermined the granting of independence to the Philippines by the American government.
Keywords: colonialism, puppet government, independence, nationalism, defense, guerrillas, captivity, Japanese occupation.

Pavel Syrov, Volgograd State University, Volgograd, Russia. E-mail: paul_jumper@live.ru.
Based on data from domestic and foreign sources, the paper analyses the process of Asian immigration to Canada in the first quarter of the 20th century by examining its dynamics and comparing the number of immigrants from different ethnic groups in Canada over years with a focus on age and gender. The status of immigrants in Canada is studied through the analysis of the attitudes of local authorities and Canadian population toward them. Immigration legislation during the specified period, as an integral component of these attitudes, is analyzed in terms of its nature and content. Special attention is also paid to the causes and prerequisites for the development of this legislation, its nature and changes over time, and the consequences of its adoption for the various Asian diasporas living in Canada and the government departments responsible for immigration policy in the country. The paper contributes to the relatively limited number of scholarly works in national historiography that address the topic of Asian immigration to Canada. In the context of Canada’s contemporary national self-perception as a tolerant multicultural mosaic, the author traces chronologically the changes in the status of various groups of Asian immigrants in Canada and examines local prejudices and legislation as two key influencing factors.
Keywords: Canada, immigration, status, head tax, Issei, bachelor society, continuous journey

Oksana Fedirko, Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology of the Peoples of the Far East, FEB RAS, Vladivostok, Russia. E-mail: fedirkoop@mail.ru
Vladimir Sokol'nikov, Blagoveshchensk State Pedagogical University, Blagoveshchensk, Russia. E-mail: rihash.88@mail.ru.
The paper analyzes the organization of outbound tourism from the USSR to the DPRK between 1955 and 1966. The authors examine the key aspects that determined the dynamics and specifics of interaction in this sphere, the features of the formation of tourist routes in the DPRK, the volume and development of tourist flows and their regional peculiarities. It is noted that the chronological framework of the study covers the period from 1955 to 1966 as it was during this period that tourism became a tool of cultural exchange and a symbol of strengthening friendship between nations. Foreign trips were organized through trade unions, which formed tourist groups of citizens who were politically vetted and morally reliable and rewarded for good work. It was established that the organizers of trips to the DPRK from the USSR took into account both the political situation and the geographical location of potential tourists, which determined the logistics and content of the tourist route. There were two travel options: a "combined" route, which included visits to the PRC and the DPRK, and a "direct" one, focused only on North Korea. The high cost of travel vouchers made travel to the DPRK less affordable for residents of the western regions of the USSR. Consequently, most tourists travelled to the DPRK from the Far East and Eastern Siberia. The highest tourist flow from the USSR to the DPRK was in 1960 but declined sharply in 1963. Political disagreements minimized tourist interaction between the USSR and the DPRK in 1965. However, in addition to political aspects, economic and logistical challenges played a significant role, which remain relevant in contemporary relations between Russia and the DPRK.
Keywords: tourism, the USSR, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Far East, society, politics.

Nikolay Ancha, Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology of the Peoples of the Far East, FEB RAS, Vladivostok, Russia. E-mail: Nikolayancha@gmail.com
The paper examines the changes in the economic relations between the United States of America and the Republic of Korea between 1979 and 1992, during the final period of military authoritarian rule in South Korea. During this period, the economic status of the South Korean side was changing. From a state dependent on foreign aid, the country turned into a developing export-oriented power capable of competing with American manufacturers. The study examines the period of trade disputes between the two countries from 1981 to 1989. Apart from the trade and economic factor, the corporate factor also played an important role in changing relations: South Korean companies, which had until recently been completely dependent on the state, actively penetrated the American market, often succeeding in competition and establishing bilateral technological and trade ties. In a short period of time, Korean corporations, which were technologically inferior to their competitors, were able to oust local manufacturers, increasing the dissatisfaction of the U.S. industrial lobby. At the same time, political factors became increasingly important, linking the movement for democracy with the opening of the country’s economy. The paper demonstrates that the combination of trade, economic, corporate, and political factors influenced the acceleration of the process of liberalization of the South Korean economic system and contributed to the formation of modern economic relations between the United States and the Republic of Korea.
Keywords: South Korea, USA, General Agreement onTariffs and Trade (GATT), corporations, lobbying, trade policy, industrialization, trade disputes

Egor Razumov, Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnology of the Peoples of the Far East, FEB RAS, Vladivostok, Russia. E-mail: razumov@yeboshi.ru.
The paper examines the formation of the image of the Russian Far East in China between 2020 and 2025 through a comparative analysis of the content from the blogosphere and academic discourse. In Chinese social media and blogs, there is a predominance of content that reproduces official news, emphasizing the symbolism of visits, investment projects, and joint events. This approach fosters a positive but one-sided portrayal of the region. At the same time, critical issues - such as institutional barriers, economic efficiency, social implications, and environmental risks - are addressed infrequently and in a simplified manner. Analytical depth is often replaced by emotionally charged and patriotic narratives, which help popularize the topic but fail to provide a robust basis for the development of long-term solutions. The author concludes that the Chinese blogosphere does not convey a meaningful perspective on cooperation with the Russian Far East, as its content is largely confined to popularizing and retransmitting the official agenda. By contrast, academic publications offer a structured, multi-level, and critically balanced analysis, based on statistical data, spatial modeling as well as institutional and comparative approaches. A significant portion of these studies is based on empirical material, enhancing their reliability and practical value. This makes academic discourse the primary source for formulating strategies for bilateral cooperation, particularly in the context of a rapidly evolving geopolitical and economic environment.
Keywords: Russian Far East, Chinese blogosphere, academic discourse, Russia-China cooperation, cross-border interaction

Gu Mingyuan, Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia. E-mail: 2227874681@qq.com.
The paper is devoted to the first archaeological research conducted by Russian researchers in northeast China. The systematic research of regional antiquities began with the opening of the Society for the Study of the Manchurian Region in Harbin (SSM, by analogy with the Society for the Study of the Amur Region in Vladivostok). This was a multidisciplinary scientific and public organization with the active historical and ethnographic (archaeological) section (chairman A.M. Baranov, vice-chairman V.Ya. Tolmachev). As a result of their work, the Harbin Museum of Local Lore was founded in 1923 (now the Heilongjiang Provincial Museum located at No. 50 Manzhouli Avenue and Red Army Avenue, Harbin), and in 1927 the archaeological department of this museum was established. The first Russian employees of the museum were V.V. Ponosov, A.S. Lukashkin, V.M. Svyatkin, K.V. Grokhovsky, V.N. Alin, L.P. Panteleev, L.A. Slobodchikov, N.V. Glukhov, M.S.Tyunin, E.I.Titov, A.Ya. Avdoshchenkov and others. They participated in the following archaeological excavations: Kunkurat-Khoto, Baichen, Yangutun, a settlement near Yakeshi, a settlement near Taonan, a settlement near Hailar, small ruins on the Eastern line of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER) and in the Hailing River valley, as well as ancient sites near Taolaizhou, sites and settlements in the Zhalaynor-Buirnor area, etc. By the 1930s, Russian emigrant researchers raised the issue of preservation and registration of archaeological sites in northeast China. The paper is based on Russian and Chinese publications as well as personal collections of Russian researchers (V.Ya. Tolmachev, V.V. Ponosov, A.S. Lukashkin), which are now in the Museum of Russian Culture in San Francisco.
Keywords: archaeology in China, Heilongjiang, emigrant archaeologists, Russians in China, SSM, Harbin Museum.

Viktor Krivonogov, Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia. E-mail: victor950@yandex.ru.
The paper presents the results of two expeditions (2011 and 2024) to the indigenous peoples of the Philippines - the Aeta - living on the island of Panay. The focus of the study is contemporary ethnic processes. A comprehensive approach was used: written and statistical sources were studied, methods of observation, interviews with informants and experts were used, and a mass survey of the Aeta people was conducted based on a 10 percent sample. A total of 291 people were interviewed: the questionnaires for adults were completed through direct interviews, while those for children were filled out based on the parents’ responses. The study revealed the development of integration and assimilation processes; the Aeta actively interact with the Visayans-the surrounding majority population. The language of the surrounding majority is fully mastered. In the central and eastern Aeta communities, most people retained knowledge of their language, while in the west and northwest of the island the process of language assimilation unfolded. Officially, the Aeta are Christians, in the east there are Baptists, in the west there are both Catholic and Baptist communities. At the same time, many combine Christianity with traditional beliefs. The Aeta people mainly work on Filipino farms, but many of them are additionally engaged in gathering food from the jungle. The anthropological profile of the Aeta people is gradually changing - mixed marriages lead to the emergence of a significant number of mestizos. Nevertheless, within their villages, the Aeta identity remains quite stable, and assimilation processes are at the initial stage.
Keywords: contemporary ethnic processes, Aeta, demography, language processes, mixed-nationality marriages, miscegenation

Tatiana Smirnova, Dostoevsky Omsk State University, Omsk, Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, RAS, Moscow, Russia. E-mail: smirnovatb@omsu.ru.
The paper analyzes the results of a sociological survey on interethnic relations in the regions of Asian Russia. This survey was conducted in 2023-2024 in twelve regions of the Ural, Siberian and Far Eastern Federal Districts. Students from leading universities were interviewed to find out their opinions about the state of interethnic relations in the regions, and how interethnic relations are affected by Russia’s ongoing turn to the East. The results of the survey are generally positive, indicating that young people have a favorable attitude toward interaction with people of other nationalities. Students demonstrate strong interest in political events in the country, and the majority of respondents agree with the change of Russia’s strategy regarding international relations. At the same time, the survey revealed negative trends. A major area of tension concerns the migrants from the post-Soviet republics of Central Asia. Problems and conflicts are common in large cities with migrant enclaves, such as Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk. The calmest situation and the most positive relations are observed in the Altai Republic, where there are very few migrants. According to the students, the main reason for tension in interethnic relations is the behavior of migrants, their lack of respect for the laws and norms of behavior that exist in Russian society. Most respondents believe that the harmonization of interethnic relations is primarily possible through compliance with laws and educational activities.
Keywords: Asian Russia, interethnic relations, ethnocultural diversity, migration.