As we can see, Russia is far from bottom tier. If you still do not believe it, watch the ESOC finals tournament. Link: Live Today: ESOC GoodHouse Cup Finals
Russia isn’t forced to go for an all-in rush. Simply going for an early attack and keeping mapcontrol is enough to win in this game. If the Russian opponent is aging, Russia can push and win. If both are staying Age 2, then Russia is getting ahead because their villagers build 30% faster and cost 10% less. Russia also keeps control of the vast majority of map ressources with their 2 Blockhouses, mass Kossaks and army. Kossaks are some of the strongest Age 2 units in the game due to their upgrades.
Russia has mapcontrol and map vision. The Russian opponent simply cannot know what the right play is. Its impossible to tell if Russia is gearing up for a big attack or aging up in the background. If you decide to push into 2 Blockhouses, you take a big risk. If you find that Russia has a sizable army, then Russia will just happily fight you. Because Russia is great at trading units. It is always in their favour in the long run.