How to win as Navalny (or how I did anyway)
Tips
Before you fight the First European War, make sure to request all forces from your puppets.
Don't call Belarus into the Second European War, as I have them there just so NATO has to garrison a longer frontline. Call them into the war once Ukraine has been defeated and you're pushing into the Baltics and Poland.
Sometime in the 2030s, Germany might pull NATO into a war with Iran, so take advantage of this with volunteers to Iran to shred NATO airforces before your final war. (Optional but helps)
Have a mix of militia and IFV divisions on the frontlines, don't push with militia units as thats what the IFVs and Tanks are for. Put your OSK divisions up on the front with Norway as they have great defense and organization.
Remember to garrison your northern front with Norway, I use those annoying divisions you can't delete for that as they're great at defending but not much else.
Over the course of a year and a half, enough enemy units had been destroyed from failed naval invasions that I started my real offensive by having tanks push north from Crimea going up the left bank of the Dnieper while having the other half push from Kharkiv to meet in the middle, cutting off the Donbas and all the forces stationed there. Clear out your encircled pockets before going on the offensive again. Once you're roughly here it should be smooth sailing.
Remember, the Second European War begins whenever YOU start it. You can hold onto the focus for a few years if needed and just sit back rearming, there is no shame in that whatsoever. I had to myself after I started it too early and was getting my ass handed to me in 2030.
After Kuban gets wiped off the map, I use my armour to push into Crimea (I don't go further than that, yet.) A quarter to half of those Armour units are set on a fall back line (could be lines plural with one in the north and south) to have a rapid response force to naval invasions.
Build Radar in your states too, that's important for spotting enemy planes.
No chemical weapons or nukes needed!