I never found them a truly viable option for a field army, because the Russians have other great multi-purpose infantry. They seem like a good, balanced unit, but seem to be kind of outclassed when they appear. Maybe I'm wrong, though, and of course they seem pretty good for city defence. They don't cost too much though, and of course it's kind of cheesy to steamroll weaker enemy armies without having to think about doing something clever with your troops.

This unit would really really shine if the game had early/high/late campaigns or if one has the guts to turtle with the Russians.

Or maybe I just never mastered the 2-handers...