The article examines the diplomatic activities of the Russian Empire’s Consulate in the Hejaz through the correspondence maintained by Consulate Secretary Sergey Tukholka with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Imperial Embassy in Istanbul in the late 19th — early 20th centuries. The author pays close attention to the internal political situation in the vilayet, where behind-the-scenes power struggle was underway between the Turkish Vali and the Emir of Mecca, as well as a strife between the vilayet authorities and Bedouin tribes. He also focuses on Muslim pilgrimage to the local sanctuaries and the role played by the Consulate in ensuring conditions for the Russian Muslims to stay safely in the Hejaz during the Hajj season. The author analyzes the project developed by S. Tukholka to, first and foremost, protect the Russian pilgrims from the ruthless exploitation they were subjected to by the dalils, their wakils and mutawwifs, who paid a kickback to the Mecca Sharif. Moreover, if cases of pilgrims dying during the Hajj (mostly unknown to the Russian Consulate), their money was misappropriated by either the dalils or local authorities, or by those who accompanied the deceased. The measures suggested by the Secretary of the Russian Consulate included the formation of groups among the pilgrims, each headed by the group leader, who would be accountable to the Russian Consulate. It was also proposed (a) to use exclusively Russian vessels to travel to Jeddah and (b) to assign to two Russian officers from among the Muslim community the mission of going to Jeddah over the Hajj period and making sure that the pilgrims could return home safely. However, these measures were never brought about.