I found Khabarovsk a beautiful and vibrant city. Less than Vladivostok but better than most of the other Asian-Russian cities. I found people among the friendliest in Russia.
The city was VERY cold when I visited it (Jan), but not dirty. It was a tidy city, nice, very nice. Sure, Chinese are everywhere and the traditional Khabarovsk restaurant offers Pizza and Sushi (or all together).