In 1985, a group of Victoria citizens approached the City of Victoria with the idea of twinning Victoria with a Russian city. As this was still in the days of the Soviet Union, the initial intention was to warm up cold war relations, to expand contracts between people and to diffuse mistrust. The City applied to the Soviet Embassy in Ottawa for a city on the Pacific Rim, specifically Vladivostok, which was also a port city. However, it was still a closed city and the Russians suggested Khabarovsk, 500 miles north.

The City of Khabarovsk was officially adopted as a sister city in June 1989.