Quote Originally Posted by Eyes330
Russia are quite hard to get going with. In my campaign with them, I had to rely on hordes of Kazaks to win my early battles. The next thing, once you've conquered most of modern-day russia, is to take out the Polish. Their nobles are brilliant compared to your boyar sons and its only once you've taken them out that the campaign becomes anywhere near easy. The Mongols arrived in Baghdad which made it so boring I stopped.

My best battle-winning tactic is the hammer-and-anvil tactic. That's why I find eastern factions harder because there is no infantry to hold down the enemy while the cav circle around. Used to be much easier in Rome, even with Parthia.
I find the start as Russian as the hardest I have played so far in M2TW, for the same reasons that you mention; though nothing is truly "hard" in this game.