Andriy Potebnia

A native of Perekopivka [uk] near Romny in Left-bank Ukraine,^[1][2] Potebnia stemmed from a Cossack starshyna family. His brother was the philologist Alexander Potebnja. After graduating from the Cadet Corps in Saint Petersburg, he served as an officer of Shlisselburg Regiment. During his stay in the imperial capital Potebnia entered the circle of Polish revolutionary democrats Jarosław Dąbrowski and Zygmunt Padlewski. After his regiment's transfer to Poland, he created a revolutionary "Committee of Russian officers in Poland", which in November 1862 joined the Land and Liberty society.

Together with members of Polish underground organizations, Potebnia started preparations for a joint revolt against the Tsarist regime. On 9 July (O.S. 27 June) 1862 he attempted to assassinate Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia, the viceroy of Poland, and had to go into hiding. While in the underground, Potebnia composed several addresses and pamphlets supporting the rebel cause, some of which were published in the Kolokol newspaper. He also visited London, meeting with Alexander Herzen and Nikolay Ogarev. After the beginning of January Uprising, Potebnia joined the insurgents and died in a battle against Tsarist troops at Pieskowa Skała near Kraków.