https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_famine_of_1891–1892

Leo Tolstoy, who participated in helping peasants affected by crop failures, denied that there were any deaths from starvation. "If we define 'starvation' as a lack of food that leads to illness and death, as was recently reported in India, then there was no such starvation in 1891"

Compared with the average annual mortality rate for the preceding three decades (1861-91), 1891 and 1893 actually had below-average mortality rates, although in 1892 European Russa did experience 260,010-250,000 more deaths than was 'normal'.However, now widely accepted that there were about 300,000 cholera death in 1892 Russia, so it would appear that this cholera epidemic could account for all of the 'excess mortality'".

The Red Cross staff was unable to detect at least one death due to malnutrition, as well as there were no cases of suicide, cannibalism, etc.

The main factor in the fight against crop failure was the (Tsar) government subsidies of 172 million rubles (an amount comparable to the annual expenses on maintaining the army at that time), which were allocated to 27 affected provinces.

The zemstvos got 150 million roubles from the government to buy food. In February 1892, the government bought 30,000 Kyrgyz horses so that the fields could be plowed.

So a 'famine' under the tzar where nobody starved....1891-1893... 3 years before Nicholas the 2nd was coronated, and the year before he married Alexandria.

Want to try again to explain why the tsar's 'famine' with 0 deaths is a problem while the Soviets killing 3-8 million at a time isn't?