[1] He was educated in Astrakhan, which at that time was a business and cultural center of the Russian Empire, and the connection to Middle Asia as a melting pot of European and Asian influence.

[1] He later studied at the seminary in Kazan, where he spent some years and finished as a student, having learned the classical languages.

[1] His admission to the Department for the Study of Eastern languages defined his decision to work in diplomacy.

[1] On 1 January 1866, he was appointed a diplomat in the Russian delegate in the Ottoman capital, Istanbul, where he stayed for a year, with the rank of vežbaonik.

[1] At this time, Russia played the role of protector of the Orthodox population in the Ottoman Empire.