I suggest to buy AK to protect from bears, also you have to drink alot of vodka if you dont want to
freeze
It depends on the University. They are all different. Usually the people are nice, especially to the foreigners. But I can speak only for St. Petersburg where I live. But the real problem is - the LANGUAGE. I'm not sure that there is going to be a special English-speaking teacher for you, it's good if it will be like this. But if the education will be in Russian - you have problems, the language is very complex and it's especially complex when it comes to science and education. If you are interested how the life in Russia is - it's absolutely normal, especially in Moscow, no different than London or Paris. The city is very big and developed.