During the Herzegovinian Uprising in 1875, Kosta Protić was sent by the Serbian government to Russia to investigate the possibilities for a war loan. Ivan Aksakov received Protić, instructed him and gave him letters of recommendation to the right persons in Saint Petersburg; moreover, since Aksakov's wife was a former lady-in-waiting with connections at the court, she introduced Protić to the empress Maria Alexandrovna and to the heir, the future Alexander III of Russia. The two were in favor of helping the Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina rid themselves of the Turks, more so than their government. Through their intercession public subscription for a loan was authorized by the tsar.