Nicholas II visits Kiev, 1911

[Alexandra]

Rob Moshein's translation of Spiridovich (on this site) informs us that :

After lunch, the Emperor went to the hippodrome to see the "Potychni". 

What is/are "Potychni", please, especially in this context?

Thank you!

[rudy3]

The "poteshnye" can be compared to boy scouts.

Originally the name comes from the Russian word "potekha", fun. A squadron of young boys was formed in the 80s of the 17th century for the fun of Peter the Great. From it emerged the Peter the Great Regiment of "poteshnye", boy scouts. By the end of the 19th century there were many of these squadrons over Russia, as they had become some kind of part of the education of many young boys. Known are great performances, in St. Petersburg, attended by all members of the Romanov family, with participation of thousands of "poteshnye" for ex. in 1912.

[Alexandra]

Thank you, that makes sense. In Ruud and Stepanov, Fontanka 16, there's a reference on p. 188 to the Tsar inspecting the boy scouts during this visit.

[AGRBear]

I wonder that Nicholas II would think today if he were walking around Kiev today.

AGRBear

[Превед]

I wonder that Nicholas II would think today if he were walking around Kiev today.

AGRBear

He would see that it's Schleswig-Holstein all over again. (Today is the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Dybbøl).
Putin obviously plays the role of Bismarck
Olaksandr Turchynov the role of Christian IX
Victor Yanukovich the role of Duke Friedrich VIII of Augustenburg
The Dnepr / Dnipro is Kongeåen / Königsau
Donbas is Holstein, Kharkiv or Crimea is Kiel and Kyiv / Kiev is Slesvig / Schleswig.
The establishment of the Ukrainian SSR equals the Treaty of Ribe
Krushchev's transfer of the Crimea equals the Treaty of Tsarskoe Selo or Denmark receiving Lauenburg in 1815
The Budapest Guarantee equals the London Protocol
Obama plays the role of Napoleon III
Denmark's hope for help from Sweden-Norway (if so be in the form of a Nordic union) equals Ukraina's hope for help from the EU and NATO.

[JamesAPrattIII]

This is from my notes from the book "Stalin and his Hangmen" Lenin abolished the pre revolutionary boy scouts and had their leaders shot. "Iron Felix" Dzerzhinsky head of the cheka had all the Moscow boy scouts shot in 1919.