In 1914 Russia had the largest army in the world. However, Russia's poor roads and railways made the effective deployment of these soldiers difficult.

The standard infantry weapon in 1914 was the Mosin-Nagant rifle and machine-gun units used modern Maxims manufactured in Russia.

In 1910 General Yuri Danilov developed what became known as Plan 19. Danoliv argued that on the outbreak of war in Europe the German Army would concentrate its forces against France. Danilov therefore suggested that four of its armies (19 corps) should immediately invade East Prussia.

Some leading members of the Russian Army disagreed with the tactics of Plan 19. They argued that Austria-Hungary represented a greater threat to Russia than Germany. In 1912 it was decided to substantially alter Plan 19. Only two armies were now to attack East Prussia with the rest concentrating on defending Russia from the Austro-Hungarian Army.

During the early stages of the First World War, the Russian Army was mainly concentrated on the Eastern Front but some detachments also served on the Balkan Front and the Western Front. Early defeats at the Battle of Tanneberg and at Lodz, inflicted heavy casualties and by the summer of 1916, the Russian Army had lost nearly 3 million men. .

The high death-rate made conscription more difficult. There were conscription riots in several cities and with soldiers refusing to fire on demonstrators, the government fell in February, 1917. In an attempt to prevent defeat on the Eastern Front, Aleksandr Kerenski, encouraged the formation of the Women's Death Battalion.

The failed Russian Kerenski Offensive in July, 1917, broke both the army and the will of the government. The October Revolution brought Lenin to power in Russia. The Bolshevik government immediately entered into negotiations and fighting on the Eastern Front officially ended on 16th December, 1917.

Almost 15 million served in the Russian Army during the First World War. Casualties totalled an estimated 1.8 million killed, 2.8 million wounded and 2.4 million taken prisoner.