AHC:Largest possible Russian Settlement in the new world

The challenge that I am proposing too you is to create the largest possible colony of Russians in the new world Any POD after 1400 works just fine

Bonus points if you can give Russia a colony on both continents
 
Perhaps somehow butterfly away the Monroe Doctrine and then have Russia and the other absolutists of Europe intervene in the Latin American Wars of Independence? That could possibly allow Russia to take some land in South America (Peru and Chile?) to suppress republicanism.
 

Pellaeon

Banned
Maybe have the Russians reach the pacific a century earlier and so build up their population and clout in Alaska and the northwest.

They might even reach California. Once they have a stable half year port at Vladivostok they can send supplies and retain a stable toe hold on the coast of North America.
 
Have the first Dzungar–Qing war start a year or two earlier. This may let the ATL Nerchinsk Treaty go in favour of Russia and let it keep it's hold on Amur's left bank. I doubt it'd produce too much butterflies in european Russia, but having a big grain producing region based on Amur in the Russian far-east would let it develop much bigger than OTL, and serve as a base for North American expeditions as opposed to OTL Okhotsk and Kamchatka.
EDIT: There also were some reinforcements sent to Albazino by Feodor III in 1682 which were turned back by Sofia, so if he lives at least for another several years, there should be enough forces at Albazino to stall Qing for another year, at which point they'd start having problems with Dzhungars.
 
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With 1400 POD a lot could be done. First step is to wank Russia proper. Say Lithuania collapsed completly during 16th century as result of Muscovite aggression. As result Russia unites all East Slavic lands and get access to the Baltic 2 centuries earlier. As result ancestors of Ukraininans and Belarussians are completly assimilated into Russian nation. But the most important thing of Russia being pushed West early is better access to trade with Western Europe and earlier adoption of Western ideas. Russia starts modernization much earlier than IOTL so Russian expansion is easier and faster. Not mentioning bigger population.
 
You'll need to give Russia a reason to prioritize the Americas over closer colonial regions like the Caucasus or Central Asia. A stronger Ottoman Empire might keep them out of the Caucasus and a stronger, non isolationist China or a more aggressive Britain could keep them out of Central Asia.
 
The main problem for Russia is that they have no warm water ports in the east and insufficient infrastructure to effectively transport troops, colonists and supplies from western Russia to the new world. Not only would colonisation efforts be stretched thin but that would mean that a war with any major power in the new world would be doomed to failure. For the Russians to achieve power in the Americas then they would require a significant increase in infrastructure throughout its eastern territory. This might allow it to pursue war goals in east asia including capturing warm water ports. This might enable them to colonies sections of the Americas. But of course this comes at a cost, maybe the modernise even slower, maybe they must sacrifice war goals in Europe or in the caucuses.
 
You need a Russian wank and a China/Manchu screw. And even then the majority of Russians will be more interested in settling the southern fringe of Siberia, Central Asia, and of course the Far Eastern lands you've conquered for them rather than jumping on a ship to the Northwest.

Still, you could get a pretty nice colony in Alaska down to Oregon/Northern California (not the Bay Area though, it's too valuable to remain in Russian hands) out of this. If you start in the mid-1700s, in 150 years you might have a million Russians there, which would be more than enough to prevent an effective sale to Spain, Britain, Mexico, the United States, or any other parties.
 
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