1700 is way too early. Any POD that avoids a Seven Years War means that there'll be no French Revolution, and thus France will stay a theocratic, backward, absolute monarchy, though it may reform the absolute part.
Going the snarky way, have Napoleon not declare himself Emperor, but still go on a huge course of conquest. France won't annex land up to the Volga nor will it really annex much land, but it will create sister republics, including a republic in Poland. From here, Consul Bonaparte goes so far as to conduct an invasion of Russia similar to his OTL equivalent. He takes Moscow for a while, which is within the Volga watershed, and marches onward a bit to the Volga River before retreating.