Communication with the government in St. Petersburg was so difficult that Baranov was left almost entirely on his own to decide any pressing issues. For all practical matters, he was the government of Alaska. In 1799, Baranov had decided that perceived British encroachment on Russia's holdings in southeastern Alaska required him to build a defensive fort in that area. While the Russians maintained that he bought a portion of land from the Tlingit and built a fort and settlement on Sitka Island overlooking Sitka Sound, the Tlingit believed that land could not be owned, therefore meaning that the land occupied by the Russians was never purchased. He believed it was important in order to ensure that the region remained under Russian instead of British control.