During the 18th century, the presence of Ottoman subjects, especially Greeks, became obvious both in the capital St Petersburg and other Russian towns inland. Several of them were in the service of the tsar and his family as lieutenants and confidantes or state officials. The fact that the Russian Empire was Orthodox was a strong incentive for many Greek Orthodox to settle there. The country's production of furs, precious stones, and wood among other things, gave them the opportunity to develop important and profitable commerce. It was in the Russian Empire that Greek merchants conceived the idea of setting up the 'Filiki Etaireia' and establish the basis for a revolutionary movement in the Balkans. The experience of those who had worked with Orlof in 1770 and the interest of the Russian tsars in the southern Balkans, as well as the economic strength of Greek and the other merchants in the Ottoman Empire, all played an important role in the development of the movement. At the same time, the presence of Greeks holding state office created a sense of security in the country.