Rusakov led the division as part of the 34th Guards Rifle Corps of the 5th Guards Army in the Sandomierz–Silesian Offensive, the Lower Silesian Offensive, the Upper Silesian Offensive, the Berlin Offensive, and the Prague Offensive. The division was decorated for its breakthrough of German defenses near Oppeln and capture of a bridgehead on the Oder, and the crossing of the Neisse. Pursuing retreating German troops, the division was the first in the corps to reach the Elbe in the vicinity of Riesa and Torgau and link up with American troops from the 69th Infantry Division in what became known as Elbe Day on 25 April. On the next day, Rusakov met his 69th Division commander Major General Emil F. Reinhardt, in the first official link-up ceremony. The division ended the war in the Prague Offensive, participating in the capture of Dresden on 8 May.
