Hans had begun his plans to annex the Rus states. He had never quite forgiven them after what the previous Grand Duke of Moscow had attempted to do to his fiancee, and his grudge was one that could only be settled with blood. More than the miniscule amount he had already spilled.
For years the Reich provided discounted alcohol to the Rus, to keep them drunk, and complacent, and while the rest of the world had gone on to form mighty Empires, or get conquered by them. The Rus had maintained their own small city states and principalities.
The first objective that Hans had regarding the annexation and germanization of the Rus was through the eastern orthodox church, whose priests were paid excessively to preach German propaganda.
