Russia - early dogs outside of Siberia
Maria Feodorovna (Russian: Мария Фёдоровна, romanized: Mariya Fyodorovna; 26 November 1847 – 13 October 1928), known before her marriage as Princess Dagmar of Denmark, was Empress of Russia from 1881 to 1894 as the wife of Emperor Alexander III. She was the fourth child and second daughter of Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel. Maria's eldest son, Nicholas, was the last Emperor of Russia, ruling from 1 November 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. Maria lived for 10 years after Bolshevik functionaries murdered Nicholas and his immediate family in 1918.
The modern Russian Kennel Club registered population
Although the breed originated in Siberia as a indigenous working dogs Russia lost the registerd breed completely at the beginning of the 20th century. So the population that exists today in Russia is not particularly original, but has returned thanks to the importation of dogs from Europe. Unfortunately, the Russian registered population is largely made up of the altered show model which is a shame considering they have access to the original Siberian populations where they could still take advantage of the original working dogs of the right type.
However as a registered breed with pedigrees they were developed in Europe (and later USA) and then brought back to Russia in the 1980's already as a registered breed and not merely indigenous working dogs. All of the current Russian show lines are European and American imports and their offspring.
There is a Russian article about how the registered Samoyed breed came to Russia not through Siberia but through Europe. Below is a quote from that article:
"Despite the fact that Samoyeds are a native breed to Russia the breed almost went extinct in our country. In the far northern parts of our homeland it is still possible to meet aboriginal Samoyed dogs, however their purity as a breed is certainly questionable. Fortunately for the lovers of the Samoyed breed in our country our foreign colleagues have preserved this breed for us, and for the world, in its original form - the form that was encountered over hundred years ago, on our far north, when the breed was numerous and clearly presented.
The modern history of the return of Samoyeds to Russia began with a graduate student of Skryabin's Veterenary Academy - Beata-Katarjina Sarley, a Polish national, who in 1989 brought two Samoyeds from Denmark to Russia: a male named Sajan Itanan Varro (on the left in the first photo) and a bitch named Sajan Eskimo Tasja (on the right in the first photo) and later produced the first litter of Samoyeds in Russia, registered in Poland under the prefix Albus. Beata-Katarjina Sarley took her Samoyeds back to Poland with her, however three bitches from that first litter were sold in Moscow: Tava Albus (on the left in the second photo), Tassa Albus and Taja Albus (in the middle in the third photo)."
Above: Images from the aforementioned article of dogs that were part of the imports made in the late 20th century and founded the registered breed.