Russian (Civ6)

The Russian people represent a civilization in Civilization VI. They are led by Peter, under whom their default colors are yellow and black.
The Russians' civilization ability is Mother Russia, which provides them with extra territory (5 tiles) when they found their cities and extra and from tundra tiles. In Civilization VI: Gathering Storm, their units are immune to Blizzard damage and civilizations who are at war with Russia take double damage from Blizzards while in Russian territory. Their unique unit is the Cossack (which replaces the Cavalry), and their unique is the Lavra (which replaces the Holy Site).
== Strategy ==
Starting bias: Tier 2 towards Tundra and Tundra (Hills)
Able to claim vast land with their cities and thrive in the icy polar regions, Russia is a formidable opponent on any map type. With the extremely powerful Lavra, Russia is well-equipped to go for either a Religious or a Cultural Victory, with a backup in Domination.
=== Mother Russia ===
==== Extra tiles when founding cities ====
When founding cities, Russia gets 5 extra tiles for free, almost doubling the number of tiles you normally start with. This increases the chance you will get the best tiles in workable range right from the get-go without having to waste a few extra turns to move your Settlers. A hidden advantage of this ability is that the cost and cost to acquire new tiles start at the same level and scale normally with tech and civic research as any other civilizations.
For this reason, it is best for Russia to build an ultra-wide empire, similar to real life. Assign Magnus with Provision, build the Government Plaza with Ancestral Hall and start cranking out those Settlers. You do not need to spend too much on building Settlers, however, as Russia is overwhelmingly likely to hit a Golden Classical Era, allowing you to get access to the Monumentality dedication. With an appropriate pantheon, your Lavra can generate an absurd amount of very early. With a vast, massive empire, you are poised to take on any victory.
==== Extra and on Tundra tiles ====
Normally, a flat Tundra tile has a base yield of 1 , and it is never worth to build a city there. With Russia, every Tundra tile gains 1 and 1 , including the City Center tile, if it is on Tundra, making this terrain more ideal for settlement. 
Unfortunately, Tundra doesn't house as much of use in the way of resources as non-Tundra, and flat Tundra does not support Farms. It will require considerable luck to find a good spot for a city near the Tundra areas (so you can build Lavra with the Dance of the Aurora pantheon), yet still have fertile land to build Farms and grow. If you settle cities deep in the polar regions, your best chance is probably a coastal tile with access to a lot of Fish and other sea resources to make up for the lack of , or resources that can be improved with Camps and Pastures. These resources often grant a base bonus , and although Camp and Pasture improvements do not grant more , they do with tech and civic advancement. Tundra Hills, or Woods on Tundra are considerably better, since they can be improved with Mines and Lumber Mills. 
St. Basil's Cathedral allows you to turn a Tundra city into a super-city when combined with Russia's bonus yields on Tundra. Add forest Lumber Mills or city-State improvements and you have a large number of high yield tiles. With Conservation, Woods can be planted to fill every other flat, non-improvable Tundra tiles, to bring the potential of all Tundra cities you have.
==== Canada versus Russia ====
Although both civilizations love Tundra, there are key differences between them: Canada can take better advantage of Tundra, thanks to Wilfrid Laurier's ability, but they desperately need Tundra to be a viable or strong empire; Russia does not. Without access to Tundra, Russia is still a very powerful civilization, thanks to their Lavra, while Canada becomes a non-factor for at least 4 eras until National Park is unlocked, as all of their other bonuses are just not that impressive. Canadian Tundra cities tend to be more productive individually, with a lot more and , while Russian Tundra cities tend to be smaller but can contribute better to the empire, since is an empire-wide currency. Therefore, when playing as Russia, if Canada is in the game and spawns next to you, try your best to settle Tundra as quickly as possible. With your and Monumentality, Canada can never match your speed of expansion. Even if they have cities in Tundra spots you want, wait until the Medieval Era and the Grand Master's Chapel, the Canada problems will be no more. If Canada is not in the game, however, you can put more priority on non-Tundra land. Remember, Tundra is your home turf, other civilizations can try to contest you on that ground but you will eventually emerge as a winner on Tundra, and you can easily claim it back later, either peacefully or with an army. Fertile land, nevertheless, is fair game to everybody, so claim it now to not regret later. It is worth keeping in mind that, with Dance of the Aurora pantheon, if you don't settle in Tundra, your Holy Sites most likely can only gain adjacency bonuses from Woods and Mountains, and those cities will grow faster but generate less . You can solve this by simultaneously settle in both polar and fertile regions. The good thing about Monumentality and Russia is lack of Settlers is almost never an issue. 
==== Protection from blizzards ====
Similar to Hojo Tokimune's bonus, this bonus is only for historically thematic purpose, it doesn't have many consequences in game. Russian units are immune to blizzard damage; remember, only units, so districts, buildings and improvements can still be pillaged or removed, which, all in all, is not that useful. Additionally, hostile units inside Russian territory take double damage from blizzards, effects of which you won't see in your game the vast majority of the time, since it is completely random and cannot be controlled by any party involved, unless the Apocalypse game mode is enabled, in which Soothsayers can be bought to trigger natural disasters. 
==== Early game as Russia ====
Russia is one of the most powerful civilizations in the game, undoubtedly. Its power stems from the fact that it can generate an absurd amount of with very little setup. Having the Lavra and the ability to reliably found the first religion means Russia is overwhelmingly likely heading for a Golden Classical Era, and with the generous output, it is one of the rare civilizations that can take full advantage of Monumentality dedication as soon as it's available.
The Golden Monumentality dedication is inarguably the most overpowered and game changing dedication in the entire game, if you can take advantage of it. It allows expansion at such a cheap cost, and when combined with the Ancestral Hall, you can also improve your cities immediately. The first district you should always build in every city is obviously the Lavra, one of, if not, the most powerful piece of infrastructure in the game. Your Lavras will yield a high amount of instantly, giving you the fund to buy even more Builders and Settlers to feedback on itself. It is this dizzying speed that Russia can expand in just the Classical Era makes them one of the most feared civilizations in the game. 
This rapid expansion in the Classical Era can mean you may end up in a Golden Medieval Era as well. Rapid expansion means you can trigger the Historic Moments for having the most cities, having cities on other continents, having more spots to build high adjacency districts, etc. Even settling on Tundra alone can give you 1 Era Score for every city on Tundra. If you hit a Golden Medieval Era, continue for Monumentality, if you still have settling spots close to your cities, or Exodus of the Evangelists if you want to kickstart your religious conversion and head for a Religious Victory.
==== Religion ====
As Russia, your Lavra is cheap and generates extra points, allowing you to reliably found the first religion most games. Because most of your strength is funneled into being able to cherry pick your beliefs, choosing the right beliefs can be the difference between winning and losing.
* Pantheon: Your strongest option is obviously Dance of the Aurora. With a tier 2 Tundra starting bias, if Canada isn't in the game, you are very likely to spawn in a vast polar region. With cheap Lavras, each of your city can generate 6-7 just from constructing your Holy Site. This , coupled with the inherent bonus from Tundra, can generate a massive amount of very early into the game, before other empires can start their economy (that is before taking into account the Scripture policy card). If you don't spawn on Tundra, or cannot scout out a close polar region, you most likely won't get the first pantheon, so even Religious Settlements is not an option, so pick according to your surroundings.
* Follower: Of course, you cannot take Dance of the Aurora without choosing Work Ethic. Every Tundra city of yours, coupled with extra on Tundra tiles, will become bustling hubs even when you delay building Industrial Zones for a few eras. If you don't have Dance of the Aurora, since you are still almost guaranteed the first religion, go for the safe, classic choice of Choral Music.
* Worship: Customize it according to your victory preference. Meeting House, Wat, and even Pagoda are nice in almost all situations. If you go for a religious victory, pick Mosque. Even though it is tempting, do not pick Cathedral if you go for a cultural victory. Russia can absolutely dominate the race that you can reliably theme all of your Religious arts. Read more here.
* Enhancer: Holy Order for a religious victory, Defender of the Faith for a defensive cultural game, Crusade if you want to be aggressive with the Grand Master's Chapel and Cossacks. 
=== Lavra ===
The Lavra, to get it right out of the gate, is a reliably powerful district in every Russia game you will play. While Hojo Tokimune can build cheap Holy Sites, and Byzantine Holy Sites generate twice as many points, Lavra combines these two into one, thus ensuring that the Russians will be one of the first civilizations to found a religion every game. As detailed above, it is this high level of reliability, regardless of which civilizations are your opponents, that puts the Lavra in an esteemed position. First pick of religious beliefs is not only powerful, but also very versatile. Seeing Byzantium, Spain or Poland as your neighbor? Pick Crusade. Seeing Gandhi or Arabia and suspecting they may go for a religious victory? Pick Mosque. Since Russia's overall toolkits are so versatile, none of these picks really harm you. With the sole exception of the overpowered combo between Dance of the Aurora and Work Ethic, every other beliefs is viable on different levels with Russia. An extra point also means after your is recruited, each Lavra will generate an extra .
The second main draw of the Lavra is providing a point for a , , and with each Shrine, Temple, and worship building respectively built. This is the same bonus as a base Theater Square. If you have a lot of fully developed Lavras, you may consider building Theater Squares as well to have some Great Work slots to activate your . Your amazing generation will allow you to purchase Naturalists and Rock Bands to easily pivot to a Cultural Victory.
Lastly, a city's borders expand each time a is activated there. This gives Russia even more incentives to build Theater Squares and focus on cultural development in its cities, attracting all kinds of artistic geniuses who can expand Russia's borders while edging it ever closer to winning a Culture Victory. This bonus will also apply to tiles outside of the usual 3 tile range from the City Center after they have all been claimed. While the tiles in this expansive territory can't be normally worked, they can still host National Parks, Forts, and Missile Silos depending on your needs.
Consider grabbing the Dance of the Aurora pantheon to gain a massive boost, particularly combined with the Scripture policy card, and you will be well on the way to a religious victory. In combination with the Work Ethic belief with your religion, and later Simultaneum policy card, you will be swimming in and , the two most versatile yields in the game.
=== Cossack ===
When the power of the Russian civilization is considered, the Cossack is often overshadowed by the almighty Lavra, but that doesn't mean this is a weak unit. It is a decent but largely underused unit, because Russia is geared towards a Religious and Cultural Victory a lot more than a domination one and defensive units are, more often than not, overlooked.
As a starter, at only 10 more , Cossacks have 5 more base Combat Strength than the Cavalry, which isn't bad. Nonetheless, they truly shine on defense, as their Combat Strength is raised to 72 if there is at least one Russian tile adjacent to them. For comparison, 72 Combat Strength is 3 less than Infantry, allowing Cossacks to stand their ground against invasions.
On offense, they do have bonuses that help them succeed in conquest. Back in Civilization V, all mounted and armored units had the ability to move after attacking, while in Civilization VI, only the Cossacks, sufficiently promoted recon units, and the Vietnamese Voi Chiến have it, giving them a powerful advantage in the Industrial Era. Being able to harry enemies with hit-and-run attacks means it is easier for a group of Cossacks to focus down an enemy by alternating their attacks. They are not exactly the best at taking cities, but thanks to their defensive bonus, they are good at defending newly captured ones. For this reason, support your Cossack army with sufficient siege power.
But again, you cannot view this unit in a vacuum. Russia, with their first pick of religion, can easily customize it with Crusade belief if they want to go on a full domination mode. Also, in the same vein as the aggressive Ethiopia playstyle, it shouldn't matter if the Cossack is not the best offensive unit. The Grand Master Chapel, Theocracy and huge influx coming from Lavras and appropriate policy cards allow you to crush any enemy just from using the sheer number advantage. If Ethiopia can pull it off with their inconsequential Oromo Cavalry, there is no reason Russia cannot with their much superior Cossacks, but of course, this purchasing strategy once again puts an emphasis on how powerful Russia's generation is thanks to their ability and the Lavra, but not on the Cossack itself.
=== The Grand Embassy ===
Last and definitely the least, to balance out Russia's other strong uniques, Peter has the worst leader ability in the game (discounting Religious Convert, which is basically just a limiting factor for Kongo's powerful civ ability.) Catch-up mechanics are generally controversial within gaming, since it requires you to play poorly, lag behind in order to be activated, and it helps you to not lose rather than to win. Peter's ability is a catch-up mechanic that is so minor that its effect barely exists throughout the game.
Peter grants all international s to more advanced civilizations 1 for every 3 technologies Russia is behind, and 1 for every 3 civics. While it does encourage you to beeline for more advanced and expensive technologies and civics so that you can minimize the total number of technologies and civics you own, deliberately planning to use it will be tricky. Leaf techs and civics that other civilizations can skip over, Russia cannot. In order to create multiple s you'll need to have at least reached Currency or Celestial Navigation. The upper branch of the tech tree is Astrology and other navigation-related techs: inland and non-religious empires can delay researching them, but Russia cannot, since they unlock the Lavra and Harbor. If you deliberately skimp on the bottom half of the tech tree you're asking to be rolled over by an aggressive empire. On the civic tree, in order to reach Political Philosophy you need both branches of the civic tree in the first two eras, with only a few exceptions of some civics. The three leaf civics on the religious branch (Theology, Monarchy, Reformed Church) are more Russia can't afford to skip without kneecapping their own religious game. The only civics it's reliably safe to skip are Exploration, Naval Tradition, and sometimes Mercenaries. If you skip all three and your opponents research them, assuming they're keeping up with or ahead of you in every other regard, then congratulations! You've earned yourself half of Wilhelmina's leader ability.
In single player games against on high difficulties (Emperor or higher), since the AIs have a massive technology and civic advantage, this ability does occasionally grant some and points in the early game. However, you should catch up with the AIs before the Renaissance Era ends, because by that time this ability becomes inconsequential.
In multiplayer games, since there is no handicap, everyone will start at the same point and you basically don't have a leader ability. The moment your leader ability kicks in, you're losing the game, and its effect is so minor that it can hopefully help you stay relevant for a few more turns, but relying on this to help you catch up is an unrealistic dream.
After Wilhelmina received a buff to her ability in the April 2021 Update, Peter's ability is now by far the worst beneficial ability in the game, even worse than Gandhi's. At least Gandhi occasionally grants you a little bit of now and again, and that bit of can be accumulated and invested into something meaningful. Peter's ability literally does nothing when you perform well, and what it does do offers little or no help turning the tide of the game when you're lagging behind.
=== Victory Types ===
With its powerful Lavra and a robust generation, Russia is best for a Religious Victory. Also, with its bonuses to , , and points, Russia has great potential to go for a Cultural Victory. A Domination Victory isn't completely out of the question, either. Similar to Ethiopia, Russia can take full advantage of the Grand Master's Chapel, coupled with Theocracy, and later in the game, the Cossacks.
Russia's greatest strength is the versatility their religion affords them. Building Lavras in half the usual time and generating double points mean that typically Russia is the first to a religion, and can pick whichever beliefs suit their needs at that time. While Religious Victories might seem like the obvious choice initially, picking Russia in multiplayer typically means other players will thwart your victory attempts if you focus on religion too much. Instead, what the Russia player should be doing is to only build Lavra districts in their strongest cities - the ones that can build plenty of districts to maximize the land grabbing bonus the Lavra offers. Outside of founding an early religion and on Tundra, Russia has no bonuses to generation, and as such their only advantage in the religious game is a head start. Therefore, if you fail the colonization game and cannot create an ultra-wide empire within the first few eras, pivot to a Culture Victory using your income.
=== Counter Strategy ===
Russia are a formidable religious/cultural hybrid civ that can get off to quite the start if left alone - but they don't have any early defensive bonuses (unless a blizzard happens, which it usually won't) and have a massive incentive to use their early on religious infrastructure, leaving less for military units. That makes them a good target for an early rush if you spawn next to them. If you can take their cities, you keep their expanded borders; if you can't, you can still really slow their religious surge in an early war with a Lavra pillaging spree, so the best kind of early rush against them may be a Horseman rush.
Meeting Russia later? Check if they're closing in on Religious Victory. If they are, you may want to start a war just to condemn their religious units. If they're not, they can potentially make a good ally, as they will typically be a fairly one-dimensional cultural civ if and when Religious Victory is out of play. Having strong output of your own will make an AI Peter easier to befriend given his Agenda whilst actually making Culture Victory harder for him.
Speaking of an AI Russia, note that they'll probably take Choral Music or Feed the World with their inevitable early religion instead of Work Ethic, despite how overpowered the latter is for them when paired with Dance of the Aurora. You can take advantage of that and get Work Ethic in a religion of your own, which is especially helpful if you have strong Holy Site adjacency bonuses of your own; Japan, Australia, and Byzantium under Theodora stand out in this regard. This is particularly useful against Russia because it will be very difficult to claim a Religious Victory for as long as they're in the game, but Work Ethic can make your religion a great tool towards other win conditions.
== Civilopedia entry ==
== Cities ==
== Citizens ==
Males 	Females 	Modern males	Modern females
Aleksai	Agniya 	Andrei 	Anastasia
Avel 	Dushenka 	Gregori 	Anichka
Dimitri	Ekaterina	Karol 	Elena
Evgenii	Galina 	Misha 	Inessa
Gorya 	Irina 	Nikolai 	Lyudmila
Igor 	Marishka 	Oral 	Nadya
Leonid 	Sofiya 	Ratmir 	Natasha
Oleg 	Svetlana 	Sasha 	Tatiana
Pavel 	Valentina	Vasyl 	Vanna
Stenya 	Zinaida 	Umberto 	Yasmin
== Trivia ==
* The Russian civilization's symbol is a double-headed eagle, which also appears on the Russian coat of arms.
* The Russian civilization ability references a common personification of Russia.
== Soundtrack ==
== Gallery ==
File:Civ 6 Lavra.jpg|The Lavra, Russia's unique district
File:Russian capital.JPG|Russian capital in Medieval Era
== Videos ==
thumb|center|300px|First Look: Russia
== Related achievements ==
== See also ==
* Russian in other games
ru:Россия (Civ6)
Category:Russian