<P> The Russian military was the largest in the world consisting of 1.4 million men prior to the war . They could also mobilize up to 5 million men, but only had 4.6 million rifles to give them . It also had poor leadership . </P> <P> The war in the east began with the Russian invasion of East Prussia on 17 August 1914 and the Austro - Hungarian province of Galicia . The first effort quickly turned to a defeat following the Battle of Tannenberg in August 1914 . A second Russian incursion into Galicia was completely successful, with the Russians controlling almost all of that region by the end of 1914, routing four Austrian armies in the process . Under the command of Nikolai Ivanov and Aleksei Brusilov, the Russians won the Battle of Galicia in September and began the Siege of Przemyśl, the next fortress on the road towards Kraków . </P> <P> This early Russian success in 1914 on the Austro - Russian border was a reason for concern to the Central Powers and caused considerable German forces to be transferred to the East to take pressure off the Austrians, leading to the creation of the new German Ninth Army . At the end of 1914, the main focus of the fighting shifted to central part of Russian Poland, west of the river Vistula . The October Battle of the Vistula River and the November Battle of Łódź brought little advancement for the Germans, but at least kept the Russians at a safe distance . </P> <P> The Russian and Austro - Hungarian armies continued to clash in and near the Carpathian Mountains throughout the winter of 1914--1915 . Przemysl fortress managed to hold out deep behind enemy lines throughout this period, with the Russians bypassing it in order to attack the Austro - Hungarian troops further to the west . They made some progress, crossing the Carpathians in February and March 1915, but then the German relief helped the Austrians stop further Russian advances . In the meantime, Przemysl was almost entirely destroyed and the Siege of Przemysl ended in a defeat for the Austrians . </P>

Who did germany fight on the eastern front