A little more aggressive…
5 Inf/Art/Arm, or 4 Inf/3 Art, or 3 Inf/3 Arm
8 Inf/ Art/ 2 Arm to W Russia (should take with 5 Inf left), 3 Inf/ Art/ 2 Arm/ 2 Ftr to Ukraine (should take with 1 Arm).
6 Inf to Buryatia, 2 Inf to Russia, 2 Inf to Sinkiang, 2 Inf to Caucasus, land Ftrs in Caucasus, Russian AA to W Russia.
Collect 29 IPCs (pretty f’ing good purchase on R2), deny Germany access to the Caucasus, deny Germany a counterattack in W Russia, eliminate Ukrainian forces- and most importantly as the game lengthens- the Ftr parked there (also rubs out an 3 Inf, an Arm and Art). I don’t think it’s possible to argue that every German Ftr isn’t precious. Deny Japan an easy IPC in Buryatia, fortify Sinkiang as Switch said, and still manage to purchase some offense. Germany is also forced to take back the Ukraine, which thins their offense out a bit and means potentially one less Ftr in either SZ 15 or Egypt, making the dice a little more unpredictable.
You then proceed to stack in W Russia for as long as possible, and trade the Ukraine when lightly (1 or 2 Inf) defended, as it’s worth 3 IPCs.
The math of this opening move is also in favor of Russia- loss of 3 Inf/ Art/2 Arm=23 IPCs in equipment lost. Germany loses 28 IPCs worth. Russia gains 3 IPCs for taking the Ukraine, and the Armor will potentially take out an Inf on the way out (50/50 chance). That’s the potential for an 11 IPC swing in material. What you gain strategically is important to think about as well. How many IPCs is it worth to deny Germany the use of a Ftr for an entire game? Especially the longer the game goes. Anyone who’s lost a Bomber early on knows what I mean. It’s huge.
Every time I’ve posted this someone’s tried to shoot it down, but I don’t see the downside, provided you’re up to the task of reinforcing Russia quickly (the loss of Russian Armor can be painful, but necessary).
Whenever I’m Germany and my opposition leaves me the Ukraine, I feel like I already have an advantage. Can someone explain to me why this isn’t a solid opening move with Russia?