As a military man he served in the Russian campaigns against Sweden and against the Safavid Empire and the Ottoman Turks[2] Fedor Soimonov was born into a noble family.

In 1740 Soimonov fell from grace after having been accused of conspiring against Empress Anna of Russia's lover Ernst Johann von Biron.

He regained freedom in 1749 under Empress Elizabeth of Russia's rule and went back to his estate in Moscow where he kept a low profile until 1753, when he was appointed to lead the Nerchinsk Expedition and was sent to map the then little explored area of the Amur River and its tributaries.

He accelerated the development of agriculture, establishing regulations for the allotment of land for farming and also publishing scientific works such as 'An Outline of Crops Growing in Siberia'.

[5] Under Catherine the Great Fedor Soimonov, also implemented the vision of the state by monitoring the advancement of Russian nautical schools.