A Russian officer and politician who was a favourite of Catherine II and in 1762 helped her to seize power; when she visited the Crimea in 1787 he gave the order for sham villages to be built (1739-1791) - Potemkin, Potyokin, Grigori Potemkin, Grigori Aleksandrovich Potemkin
Type of: military officer, officer, pol [N. Amer], political leader, politician, politico, pollie [Austral], polly [Austral]