>>718525870
Ah, Russian is a cool one.

So around 100 years before EU5's start date, the Mongols invaded and razed the fuck out of most of what is now western Russia-at the time known as the Kievan Rus, one of the first Slavic kingdoms in the east iirc.

They broke up the Slav kingdom into many smaller principalities, and caused most urban centres to fall into rapid decline. You start in 1337; Ivan II is in charge as Prince of Moscow, and wants to try and re-align Russia with other eastern Europeans and hopefully escape the ongoing oppression of the Mongol hordes.

Russian games therefore typically take on the form of you playing as Muscovy and slowly building power both at home and through alliances with your fellow slavic neighbours (often through dynastic unions). Eventually, when you're ready, you will unite them together and drive the Mongols out of your lands-freeing your people and declaring the Tsardom of Russia. That is what Ivan III (the Great) did.