▁S ze pes ▁region ▁in ▁ 1 7 6 9 ▁( vi ol ating ▁the ▁Tre aty ▁of ▁Lub ow la ), ▁Catherine ▁II ▁of ▁Russia ▁and ▁her ▁ad visor ▁General ▁Ivan ▁Ch ern y sh y ov ▁suggested ▁to ▁Henry ▁that ▁Pr uss ia ▁claim ▁some ▁Polish ▁land , ▁such ▁as ▁Er ml and . ▁After ▁Henry ▁informed ▁him ▁of ▁the ▁proposal , ▁Frederick ▁suggested ▁a ▁partition ▁of ▁the ▁Polish ▁border lands ▁by ▁Austria , ▁Pr uss ia , ▁and ▁Russia , ▁with ▁the ▁largest ▁share ▁going ▁to ▁Austria . ▁Thus ▁Frederick ▁attempted ▁to ▁encou rage ▁Russia ▁to ▁direct ▁its ▁expansion ▁towards ▁weak ▁and ▁non - function al ▁Poland ▁instead ▁of ▁the ▁Ott om ans . ▁▁ ▁Although ▁for ▁a ▁few ▁dec ades ▁( since ▁the ▁times ▁of ▁the ▁Sil ent ▁Se jm ) ▁Russia ▁had ▁seen ▁weak ▁Poland ▁as ▁its ▁own ▁prote ctor ate , ▁Poland ▁had ▁also ▁been ▁dev ast ated ▁by ▁a ▁civil ▁war ▁in ▁which ▁the ▁forces ▁of ▁the ▁Bar ▁Confeder ation ▁attempted ▁to ▁dis rupt ▁Russian ▁control ▁over ▁Poland . ▁The ▁recent ▁K oli y iv sch yna ▁pe asant ▁and ▁C oss ack ▁u pr ising ▁in ▁Ukraine ▁also ▁weak ened ▁Polish ▁position . ▁Further , ▁the ▁Russian - supported ▁Polish ▁king , ▁Stanisław ▁II ▁August us , ▁was ▁seen ▁as ▁both ▁weak ▁and ▁too ▁independent - mind ed ; ▁eventually ▁the ▁Russian ▁court ▁decided ▁that ▁the ▁useful ness ▁of ▁Poland ▁as ▁a ▁prote ctor ate ▁had ▁dimin ished . ▁The ▁three ▁powers ▁officially ▁just ified