In the 18th century, the doctrine of mercantilism-cameralism penetrated Russia and became the basis for the concept of state accounting, which was implemented in the Admiralty Regulation (1722), the first Russian accounting law. The Admiralty Regulation is a unique testimony to the earliest experience of the adoption of economic ideology and Western accounting style in Russia. It brought to Russian accounting an understanding of the importance of accounting procedures, budgeting and state control. The aim of this study is to show how the economic doctrine of the time influenced accounting, while also investigating whether accounting can serve as a gauge of the success of the doctrine and reform in general. Another research question is what it means for Russian accounting that the first accounting rules were developed for military purposes.