I appreciate that you're thinking about balance.
I don't think adding another unit is what the Soviets need, the existing Soviet units need to become viable.
And I'm SO GODDAMN SICK of the Enemy at the Gates "Russians kill each other and only win becuz numbers lol" portrayal of the Red Army.
The game is set in 1944. But it seems the Red Army in the game is based on 1940-41. Yes, when Germany first sucker-punched their Soviet allies, the Red Army was at a weak point, in the midst of re-arming, all it's junior officers were killed in Stalin's purge, and millions of men were killed and captured.
But in 1944, the Red Army was far different. The troops had more experience, new officers had risen through the ranks, the T-34-85 was the new medium tank, and many newly developed weapons were superior to their German counterparts.
In fact, from 1943 onwards, the Soviet-German ratio of losses was approximately 1:1. (And the only reason it wasn't even more in favor of the Soviets was because the Germans were fighting a defensive war at this point.) The Red Army was no longer a human shield defending Moscow at all costs. It was an incredibly effective fighting force.
And the whole "execute soldiers for no reason thing" is a load of crap. There weren't maxim guns positioned behind advancing men, ready to gun them down. Yes, in 1942, as the Germans approached the gates of Moscow, Stalin said that "panic-mongers and cowards" could be executed on sight. Yes, there were some instances where this was abused and innocent men were killed. But it was not commonplace like Nazi and Cold War era propaganda would have you believe. Soldiers were desperately needed, why in the hell would they be gunning down their own men?
I would just love if the game could be based somewhat off reality, and not off some wehraboo fan-fiction about strong Aryan uber-mensch with uber tanks fighting off the Eastern hordes that don't use tactics and have crappy technology.
It's a historical fiction based in racism. Not saying anyone is a racist, just that the whole "stupid, machine-gun charging Russians" is based in historical racism. Every Eastern army is characterized as a sub-human horde. The Mongols, the Saracens, the Red Army, all of them just used numerical superiority to defeat the chivalry and strategic/technological strength of the West, right? lol.
So no, no goddamn trigger-happy commissar.
/rant