Greetings:
•    Only during greetings do Russians display affection in public. Relatives and good friends will engage in a noisy embrace and kiss each other on the cheeks.
•    Except at formal or state occasions, Russians usually greet a stranger by shaking hands and stating their name, rather than uttering a polite phrase (such as "How do you do?"). Respond in the same way.

Meals:
•    Dinners are held early (about 6pm) It is a great honor to be invited to a Russian home.
•    It also can be a great burden for the host. Russian tradition demands that you be served a lunch or dinner that far exceeds everyone’s appetite and, often, the financial capabilities of the host. It is important that we remain thankful for whatever is set before us.
•    Russians keep the fork in the left hand and knife in the right.
•    Also keep hands off lap while eating instead rest wrist lightly on table.
•    To beckon a waiter in a restaurant a slight nod of the head should do the job; if not raise the hand and finger.

Gestures:
•    Both the American "O.K" sign (thumb and forefinger touching in a circle) and any shaken-fist gesture will be interpreted as vulgar.
•    Whistling is not taken as a sign of approval in a concert hall; it means you did not like the performance.
•    The "thumbs up" gesture indicates approval among Russians.
•    Do not sit with the legs splayed apart or with one ankle resting upon the knee.

•    Some common traditions or superstitions include sitting for a minute before leaving a home, knocking three times on wood to avoid bad luck, and spitting three times behind the shoulder to prevent bad news.

•    Flicking of the earlobe: "I dislike that person" or "he should be punished, like a child."

•    Russians count on the their fingers left to right, in a pattern opposite to American counting (Beginning with little finger, then ring finger, middle finger and etc)

•    When a Russian is annoyed with himself he will slap his forehead with his flat hand and turn his head so the fingers are pointing down to brow line, as if to say, "What a dummy-my brains are upside down".

•    The fig sign (a clenched fist with the thumb coming through the knuckles of the index and middle finger) means "nothing" as in "You will get nothing"

•    When entering a crowded aisle of seated people one should turn facing the people already seated; to do otherwise is considered quite rude.

•    When entering or departing a Russian home, it is considered a very bad form to shake hands across the threshold.

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Things not to do:
•    Wearing your coat (and heavy boots) when you enter a public building---particularly the theater. You are expected to leave your coat in the garderob (cloakroom). One does not sit on one’s coat at a concert, restaurant, and so forth. Many office buildings also have a garderob.

•    Standing with your hands in your pockets, or generally lounging around. This is especially true in public buildings.

•    Wearing business clothes that are less than conservative---for example, pastel shirts with white collars.

•    Speaking or laughing loudly in public.

•    Not only is whistling indoors considered bad mannered, but there is a superstition that it will cause a loss of money.

•    It is better not to say "Russia" to a Russian. Post-revolutionary tact demands USSR.

•    Never drop anything (not even a movie ticket) in the street. It is both offensive to Russian tidiness and illegal.

•    Avoid talking politics (especially history).

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Trivia:
•    Most children learn English beginning in the 3-4 grades so most citizens under the age of 45 speak English. It is still suggested that you bring a phrase book to prove you are trying to learn their language.

•    There are more then 15, 000 births a day in USSR. Birthdays are not celebrated as we observe them; in fact they are almost ignored.

•    Dogs are forbidden in the cities.

•    The Metro (subway system) is a national prize, clean, efficient and inexpensive.

•    Thank You in Russian: Spa-see-bow (phonetic spelling).

References for cultural study:
1) Kiss, Bow and Shake Hands, Compiled by Terri Morrison, Wayne A. Conaway and George A. Borden, Ph.D. Copyright 1994 by Adams Media Corporation
2) Do’s and Taboos Around the World, edited by Roger E. Axtell, Copyright 1984, 1990 by the Paper Pen Company
3) Gestures: The Do’s and Taboos of Body Language Around the World, edited by Roger Axtell, Copyright 1991, 1998 by John Wiley and Sons INC.