The major Russian city of Khabarovsk, and the small town and railway station Yerofey Pavlovich (located on the Trans-Siberian railroad in Amur Oblast) bear his name.

A native of the Veliky Ustyug area in the northern European Russia, Khabarov was a manager for the Stroganovs at the saltworks in Solvychegodsk.

, He left the town with his expedition three years later and reached the Kheta River (eastern part of Taimyr).

Reaching the upper Amur (Dauria) in early 1650, he found the country nearly deserted, the cossacks' reputation having preceded them.

He praised the land, warned of the danger of Chinese intervention and suggested a larger expedition with professional soldiers.

Given the time delays in communicating with Moscow, the Yakutsk Voivode Dmitry Frantsbekov decided to act independently and sent Khabarov back south with a larger force.

The voivode also gave Khabarov letters from His Majesty Tsar Alexis to the Daurian Prince Lavkai of Albazin and "Prince Bogdoi" (Russian: Князь Богдой) asking those potentates to submit to the Russian Tsar, and threatening to send a 6,000-strong army if they don't obey.

(The Manchu general, Haise, was later executed for his incompetence) Not knowing how many more Chinese were in the area, on 22 April he withdrew up the Amur.

Unable to gain the support of Khabarov's men and having no adequate way to deal with the Manchus, Zinoviev and part of the force withdrew from the Amur.

He reappears again in the records in 1658 when the Siberian Office ordered that he be placed in irons if he refused to guide a new expedition to the Amur.