All this talk of Russian girlfriends reminded me of a backpacking trip across the steps when I graduated. In those days, everyone was traveling across Europe, but no one was going to the USSR or the satellites, so I decided Europe could wait. Give me mother Russia. That's a saying - I'm Scottish, but look great in fur.
My advice is to consider your situation carefully UM, because the chances of having a long-lasting relationship with a Russian girl are, well, less than optimal. Here's why...
They are too beautiful for you. The dedication that Russian women have to looking beautiful is just scary. For the majority of them life is like a podium, and so they have to look sparkling even on the way to get a newspaper or walking the dog. My sometimes trip companion Mina wore high heels every day and didn't worry about the lack of comfort as soon as I told her it looks great. (We seldom got more than a couple of kilometers on those days, which is why I finally had to put her on the cabbage truck home). Also, she never appeared anywhere outside her apartment in Kiev wearing same outfit twice. When I asked her why she cares so much about her appearance, she looked surprised: “Why would I choose to not look beautiful? Beauty is power and respect. How is anyone going to notice your rich inner world if you don’t attract attention?” Then she would invariably ask, "How are my boobs today?" Majestic, like the Urals" I would always say. The worst thing for me was going out with a Russian girl meant you'd either have to dress up and put a lot of effort in looking nice, or everyone will be looking at you and wondering, how did a pretty lady like her end up with me?
You might get Russian parents in law, and this is dangerous. As you've already noted visiting with your girlfriend’s parents will be accompanied with feasts (soups, meat, soups with meat, salads consisting of 50% mayo, potatoes, potatoes, bliny with mince and more potatoes, and then a cake for dessert. As it is not polite to not finish your meal in Russia, you will have to deal with all that volume of food. You’d expect help from your beloved, but when it comes to hospitality, all Russians tend to become unreasonable and overfeed their guests until it is hard to move. She will probably offer you another piece of pie. Is dating a Russian girl worth putting on a lot of weight?
And don’t forget the initiation: the dad will most likely test you at some point. You should prove that the family can trust you with their precious child. Tests are different in each family. For example, my friend Jacques had to drink a full bottle of vodka with his girlfriends dad. Otherwise he would be considered too weak to protect her in danger. Lucky Jacques passed the test successfully, mostly because his girlfriend hid his shoes before the test, but had to celebrate it with more cabbage, potatoes & cake.
They are too independent. Nekrasov, a Russian 19th century poet said: “a Russian woman can stop a galloping horse and enter the burning house.” This is a powerful image of an independent woman who doesn’t really need any help or protection from men. Come to think of it, that probably works in Missoula as well, so never mind.
Finally, did I mention all that Russian food? For many Russian women cooking is a way to show their love, so be prepared for food experiments. At first the cuisine might seem absolutely normal and even a little boring. But when you get to eat Russian food more often than during occasional visit to her parents, you will have more and more questions. What is that weird purple salad? Beetroot with herring? Pancakes with caviar? Why is she putting cabbage in pies (and everywhere else)? How many variations of pickles are there on Earth? Fermented rye bread drink…well, that one is surprisingly decent! You might hate most of the meals, but occasionally there will be something great (e.g, the Russian salad because there is no cabbage in there).
By the way, cabbage is a staple in the Russian woman's diet because they all believe it makes their boobs grow larger. You should definitely encourage it if @ all possible. Hope this helps.