Another version says that the officers of the Russian army played this game on their own will to surprise others with their courage.
The last phrase is lighted blue as a reference. I nodded on it and jumped over to the article "Idiotism"

Ahhhhhh The officers of the Russian army were not bullies at all. One bullet is loaded in the revolver. The balance of the drum changes. When a risky guy in the pursuit demonstrately scrolls the drum, holding the revolver in the stretched forward hand, due to the mass of the cartridge, the drum is usually stopped by the cartridge down. This is if the weapon is well cleaned and lubricated, and the "focus" knows how to perform this trick. Of course, there is no shot. But intrigued, not smart and not sober viewers can behave.