Russia
The Russian steamroller — numbers, morale and a harsh home front.
Recruitment pool at a glance
Russia can recruit 46 distinct units: 10 infantry, 13 cavalry, 7 artillery and 16 naval. The table below compares the average morale and melee of each land role against the all-faction mean, so you can see where the army is genuinely above par.
| Role | Units | Avg morale | Avg melee | vs mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 10 | 8.8 | 7.5 | +1.6 / +0.3 |
| Cavalry | 13 | 8.5 | 9.8 | +1.4 / +2.7 |
| Artillery | 7 | 3 | 2 | -4.2 / -5.2 |
| Naval | 16 | see the naval roster and Naval Comparator | ||
Reads as: Infantry moraleCavalry moraleCavalry shocknaval power
Starting position
Russia begins the campaign holding these regions:
Victory conditions (source: wiki.totalwar.com (2026-08-15))
Victory Conditions Historical Capture and hold 25 regions, including the regions shown. Ingria, Greater Poland, Moldova & Bessarabia, East Prussia, Finland, Galicia, Moscow Guberniya Complete by the end of your turn in: Late December 1812 World Domination Capture and hold 60 regions, including the regions shown. Moscow Guberniya Complete by the end of your turn in: Late December 1812 Flag Monarchy flag Republic flag
How to play Russia
Build your field army from the pool above. A reliable backbone is a solid block of line infantry to hold the centre, artillery to break enemy formations, and cavalry held back for the flanks and the pursuit. Where Russia is above the all-faction mean (highlighted above), lean into that edge.
With a deep navy, secure the seas early: protect your trade and use amphibious landings to open a second front. Compare your ships in the Naval Comparator before committing a fleet.
The pointers above are general principles framed by this faction’s real recruitment profile, not a scripted walkthrough. Adapt to the enemy and the map.