Russia
Eleven time zones and no short front
Nations 82
The Geography
Russia stretches from Kaliningrad and the Arctic coast to the Caucasus, Siberia and the Pacific in a huge 3200×1688 frame. Its 82 regional starts reflect the country’s federal geography, while mountains and great rivers divide a map that is 47% land. The west is dense and interconnected; the east is vast, elongated and thinly linked.
The History
Muscovy expanded into a continental empire that Peter the Great proclaimed in 1721, then pushed across Siberia to the Pacific. Revolution ended imperial rule in 1917; the Soviet Union formed in 1922 and dissolved in 1991, leaving the Russian Federation and its immense federal geography.
The Battlefield
Distance is the central mechanic. European Russia produces crowded early fronts, whereas Siberian starts can grow into larger spaces but struggle to reinforce across the continent. The Urals and river systems create natural lines without fully sealing them. Avoid building an empire wider than your response time: secure transport corridors, preserve a compact rear and use the long northern or southern flanks selectively.