Forsheva, the 2006 World Indoor Championships 400m gold medallist, ran two laps of the track in the Vladimir Kuts Hall in a sparkling 51.22.
In a thrilling race, Kseniya Zadorina clocked an indoor personal best 51.38 for second place while behind her Kseniya Vdovina also set an indoor best of 51.81.
Yelena Migunova also dipped below 52 seconds with 51.99 for fourth place to confirm Russia’s position as the clear favourites for the 4x400m relay at the European Athletics Indoor Championships in Paris next month.
The 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships will be held in the French capital at the Palais Omnisport Paris-Bercy from 4-6 March.
Unfortunately, the 2009 European Athletics Indoor Championships 400m gold medallist Antonina Krivoshapka did not start the final in Moscow after suffering a back strain.
Rusanova, who has never been to major event before outside of Russia, improved her 2011 world-leading mark in the 800m to 1:58.14, faster than she has even run outdoors although she was primarily a 1500m runner until this winter.
Yevgeniya Zinurova finished second in 1:58.83 while 21-year-old Yelena Arzhakova, another converted 1500m runner who also has good credentials as a steeplechaser, produced a Russian under 23 record of 1:59.35 for third place.
There was an enthralling women’s long jump competition as just eight centimetres covered the top four competitors. The 2009 European Athletics Junior Championships gold medallist Darya Klishina won with 6.74m, just one centimetre in front of Anna Nazarova, who holds the 2011 world lead with 6.89m.
Yelena Pidluzhnaya finished third with 6.69m while Irina Meleshina was fourth with 6.66m.
Anna Avdeyeva made her debut for the year and took the women’s shot put with 18.81m, the second best mark in the world this winter.
Svetlana Shkolina won the women’s high jump, going over 1.94m before unsuccessfully attempting 2.00m.
Viktoriya Klyugina was second with 1.91m while in joint third with 1.87m was 2004 Olympic Games champion Yelena Slesarenko and 18-year-old Mariya Kuchina, who recently set a world junior indoor best of 1.97m.
Sergey Klyugin, the 2000 Olympic Games men’s high jump champion, is the coach to the first two women and also added the men’s title to his portfolio as 2009 European Athletics Junior Championships winner Sergey Mudrov triumphed when he was the only man to get over 2.30m.
The 2010 European champion Aleksandr Shustov was second on count-back after clearing 2.27m, the same height as 2008 Olympic Games champion Andrey Silnov and Eduard Malchenko who both tied for third place.
Missing from the event was Ivan Ukhov, the undisputed best jumper in the world so far this year who was given special dispensation to miss the championships, while the 2009 world champion Yaroslav Rybakov is currently injured.
The 2009 European Athletics U23 Championships 1500m gold medallist Ivan Tukhtachev took more than a second of his indoor best, which he had set in the heats, to win the 800m in 1:46.89. Second was Stepan Poistogov in 1:47.79.
Shot putter Maksim Sidorov got his third indoor personal best of the winter when he threw 20.70m, the second best distance by a European shot putter this year. Second was Ivan Yushkov with 20.46m while Valeriy Kokoyev was also over 20 metres with 20.19m for third place.
Sadly, the men’s triple jump was one of the few events to fail to live up to expectations as Igor Spasovkhodskiy won with a relatively modest 16.85m with Lyukman Adams, the second best man in the world this year after jumping 17.32m at the Moscow Championships last month, only able to reach 16.80m.
Roman Smirnov fulfilled his role as the favourite in the men’s 200 m and won with 20.91 while women’s title over one lap of the track went to went to Yekaterina Voronenkova in 23.37.
Sergey Petukhov, a member of Russia’s victorious 4x400m relay squad from last summer’s European Athletics Championships, improved his indoor best to 46.89 and won the 400m.