More than 100 years after the Russian Revolution brought his reign to an end, people can’t get enough of Russia’s last tsar — or, more specifically, his butt.
Thousands of Twitter users, some thirstier than others, are going crazy over a set of newly resurfaced photos that show Nicholas II swimming nude during a trip to Finland in 1912, buttocks and all.
The photos, which were released in 2018 as part of RT and the Russian State Archive’s #Romanov100 project that marked the 100th anniversary of the executions of the Romanov family, spread like wildfire after digital photo colorist Marina Amaral tweeted them on Thursday evening. Amaral's tweet now has more than 12,000 likes.
“Brb thirsting hard for Tsar Nicholas II,” one user tweeted, in one of the few such comments fit for publication.
“You can bet all other fin de siecle monarchs and emperors hit the gym in SHAME when Nicky posted these buff snaps on his insta feed (later taken down),” another joked.
Others viewed the tsar's physical physique as motivation to head to the gym more often — while some even called for the restoration of the monarchy after seeing the photos. Butts make us all do weird things.
Nicholas II and his family were avid fans of photography, owning one of the world's first portable Kodak cameras. Thousands of photos document both their public and private lives, offering a fascinating look into the twilight of the Russian Empire.
While the Russian imperial family has been a topic of political debate for decades, there is one fact that you other brothers can't deny: Nicholas II had a very toned derriere.
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