[1] In 1987, Mikhail Gorbachev called for the establishment of diplomatic relations with Brunei.

[3][4] In 2000, President Vladimir Putin arrived in Brunei for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, and met with the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, in the Nurul Iman Palace.

According to Gennady Chufrin, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the visit marked a serious step towards the establishment of bilateral relations.

[6] On 1 December 2008, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signed an order to establish a Russian embassy in Bandar Seri Begawan.

Andrei Nesterenko, the spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the establishment of a Russian embassy in the Brunei capital would help to intensify issues surrounding the Brunei–Russia relationship.