Mendeleev was appointed director of Russia’s Bureau of Weights and Measures in 1893. The appointment followed his 1892 work as scientific custodian of the Depot of Weights and Measures in St. Petersburg.
In 1893, that older institution was reorganized as the Main Chamber of Weights and Measures, Russia’s central metrological authority. Mendeleev directed efforts to create reliable national standards and compare Russian measures with British and metric systems.
The date can cause confusion because some accounts date his appointment to 1892, when he took charge of the predecessor depot, while others use 1893, when the bureau itself was formally established. For a question specifically naming the Bureau of Weights and Measures, 1893 is the standard answer.
His metrology work extended beyond chemistry. He helped improve inspection procedures, standardize prototypes, and prepare Russia for wider adoption of the metric system. The institution later became associated with the D. I. Mendeleev Institute for Metrology.