This basic infantry fighting for Mother Russia is different from its Allied counterpart in two crucial ways: on the downside, it lacks the ability to deploy into a fortified position. On the upside, however, it's half the cost of the Allied GI. Thus on maps with urban buildings, garrison plenty of Conscripts for a cheap, powerful defense that can quickly rack up veterancy. Avoid mixing them up with enemy tanks, however -- they'll be roadkill in no time.

Sure, his only weapon maybe a clipboard and pocket protector, but the Engineer is not to be underestimated as both an offensive and defensive unit. If you're low on cash to repair your structures, send an Engineer into the building for a quick repair (note that the unit is "lost"). More importantly, Engineers can help turn the tide of battle by capturing neutral tech buildings that often dot the battlefield. Capturing an airport gives you the ability to produce paratroopers, which you can drop every few minutes to a selected location on the map. Capturing hospitals creates a center at which to heal wounded infantry units. Capturing an outpost turns it into a repair facility with defenses against both air and ground attacks.

But perhaps the most important tech building to capture is the oil derrick, which will boost your credit flow while occupied (plus a "finder's fee" upon first capture). An often overlooked way to ramp up your base's finances, oil derricks can mean the difference between biting your nails while you wait for ore miners to come home and building that weather control device. On maps with lots of oil derricks, scout your Engineers early with a few tanks and attack dogs.

Best of all, however, is using the Engineer as an offensive unit against your enemy's base. After taking out perimeter defenses with tanks and ground units, try sending in a detachment of engineers into enemy structures. As soon as they've taken the buildings, cash in in a frenzied sell-off.

Truly man's best friend, the Attack Dog is an excellent defense against infantry units knocking on your door, as they can take them out in one lunge. It always pays to have a pack or two sprinkled around your base to sniff out spies, take out pesky engineers and pre-empt any infantry-based attacks. If an enemy has a garrisoned building that's causing you grief, pound it with tank or missile fire until the infantry flees. Then send in a standby pack of Attack Dogs for lunch.

The Tesla Trooper uses the power of electricity, generated from a portable Tesla coil, to sizzle targets to a crispy, golden brown. Since they're quite slow-moving, Tesla Troopers are best used as a static defense, effective against infantry but particularly devastating to enemy tanks (which can't squish them). Use one or two to charge up a Tesla Coil for a slow-recharging but devastating bolt of increased range and power. The bad news is their lack of speed makes them particularly vulnerable to Attack Dogs, as well as aerial attacks.

This Soviet demolitions expert places dynamite on targeted structures and units, including non-enemy units such as cows. Best used against structures, Crazy Ivan requires careful handling; if fired upon by enemy units he detonates, meaning you won't want to keep him too close to your own units during an offensive. However, his readiness to explode can make him a useful kamikaze unit if the situation dictates.

Effective against both ground and air units, the Flak Trooper boasts two cannons that fire explosive rounds of standard flak. Flak Troopers are useless against tanks, however, making them best utilized as an in-base defense, complemented with Flak Tracks and Flak Cannons. Flak Troopers are somewhat slow-moving too, so be sure to spread them throughout your base for maximum air defense.

A product of Soviet research into mind control, Yuri's only weapon his scientifically altered brain, which can control most organic units and even vehicles, except War Miners, Chrono Miners, Attack Dogs, and aircraft. Since his range for mind control is quite long, situate him outside an enemy base to aggravate your opponent by controlling powerful units inside his own base. Be sure and protect Yuri well with tanks and infantry, however, as an overdeveloped brain is no match for a pack of snarling Attack Dogs. His second attack, the Psi Wave, creates a mind-melting energy blast, useful for taking out enemy infantry en masse - if they're close enough.