Russian Resources

Here are some Russian resources that I have collected over the years and a guide to getting started!

**(Web version recommended for this page!)

A1 – “Privet, kak dela?” and that’s it.
You know how to say hi, the bad words, yabloko, and that's it. You and your Duolingo streaks against the world.

A2 – I can understand, but please speak slowly
You know the alphabet, can read menus, and maybe ask for water if you rehearsed the sentence 3 times.

B1 – I understand the gist
You still translate in your head, but at least it’s not every single word. You believe true fluency is 6 months away. (It’s not. But keep going.)

B2 – I watch Netflix without subtitles
You can follow fast convos, talk about opinions, and rant about TV shows. You still look up fancy words and make a few grammar mistakes.

C1 – Fluent-ish
You can understand complex texts, podcasts, and debates. You're officially past the “aww you’re learning Russian?” stage.

C2 – Native speaker level
You can read Dostoevsky.

Not sure where you are? Take the Test.

This quick test that will help you figure out your level in Russian.

The test was created by Irina Baginskaya, a highly qualified Russian language educator with over a decade of experience teaching Russian to non-native speakers, and degrees from Saint Petersburg State University and Pushkin State Russian Language Institute!

Language levels come from something called the CEFR, which stands for the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. It’s basically a universal system that tells you how well someone can use a language.

Beginner and Upper Beginner Level 

Get these:

Download these:

Watch these:

Do these:

Follow them:

Drops (mini vocabulary practice)

Cheburashka

Beginner level Russian cartoons

2 Week Study Plan

If you need more structure, here are A1 and A2 in-depth guided lessons with videos, online worksheets, and writing assignments!

(Click the circles!)

Before you begin, here are some tools you’ll need in your toolbox!

Download Anki or Quizlet for flashcards

LingQ for structured mini lessons

Russian Winnie the Pooh

Make a Personal Vocab List

Pay attention to the words you use the most in daily life. Are you always talking about school? Music? Food? Write down your top 100 and add them to Anki or Quizlet + the general most common 100 Russian words. These words will be your foundation.

Label objects around your room in Russian with sticky notes, and say them out loud every time you see them!

Singing

Learn an entire song! Focus on one and try to learn all of the lyrics. This will also help you imitate native pronunciation.

Here’s an example of a 2-week study plan for a beginner. At this stage you want to get as much input as possible and form the habit of language study. Don’t worry about textbooks for now. You can use this as a guide to plan your own!

LingoPie for comprehensible input

A1 & A2 Milestones Based on University-Level Syllabi

This section shows you what topics to cover and what you should be able to do by the end of an A1 and A2 level with resources!

Notebooks for journaling and staying organized

Yandex Translator

Smeshariki

Pokoyo (Russian version)

Change your phone language

Switch your phone (and apps like TikTok & Instagram) to Russian.

Pimsleur (Audio lessons)

Masha and The Bear

Peppa Pig (Russian version)

Journaling

Write 1 paragraph about your day everyday in Russian. It’s okay if you use a translator! Focus on routine things like what you did or how you felt.

Intermediate level

At this point, you’re comfortable with your routine, and the Cyrillic alphabet doesn’t scare you anymore. You can start exploring more advanced videos, listening to native conversations, and picking up vocabulary through real-world content

Watch these:

Where to watch:

Better than People

Avatar the Last Airbender

Any Disney/ Pixar Movie. (Try to learn the songs!)

Friends

It’s the Russian Netflix. You can find dubbed versions of popular shows like Game of Thrones, Succession, or movies like Shrek!

The Office

4x4 Intermediate Study Schedule

(via: Language Lords)

This approach is broken into four focused blocks: Speaking, Reading/Accent, Vocabulary, and Listening. Altogether, it takes about 3–4 hours a day, but you can scale it up or down based on your schedule.

This exercise is great for developing speaking skills!

Speaking Practice – 1 hour

Reading/Accent Practice – 30 minutes

Listening Practice – 1 hour

Harry Potter (1st movie)

Russia’s social media site that’s also home to tons of shared videos, movies, and series. just type ‘вк’ at the end of whatever you want to watch in google, it should be there!

SpongeBob (Russian version)

This section tells you what topics to cover and what you should be able to do at the end of the B1 and B2 level with resources!

Not Born Beautiful

Gravity Falls

Netflix has lots of Russian dubs for popular shows such as: ‘You’, ‘Squid Games’, ‘Bridgerton’, ‘Money Heist’, ‘Emily in Paris’, ‘The Umbrella Academy’, ‘Bojack Horseman’, ‘Narcos’…

Goal: Practice monologuing and build comfort with speaking freely—even when you forget words.

Step-by-Step:

  1. Pick a topic like “My Daily Routine,” “My Favorite Movie,” “A Place I Want to Visit.”

  2. Speak for 5–10 minutes, out loud, in your target language.

    • If you forget a word (e.g. “to wash dishes”), just say it in English and keep going.

    • Don’t pause. Practice the flow (this simulates real conversation.)

  3. Record yourself with your phone.

  4. Listen back and write down every word or phrase you switched to English for.

  5. Look up those words and write them down in a notebook or doc.

  6. Try again—retell the same story.

  7. Repeat the story 2–3 times. Write down any words you missed and add them to Anki or Quizlet.

  8. The next day, review your Anki deck first, then talk about it again. When you can speak for 5-10 minutes without using an English word, you can move on!

Tip: If you're stuck at the beginning, say the story entirely in English first to get your thoughts organized—then switch to your target language.

Goal: Improve your speaking rhythm, clarity, and accent by training your ear.

Example Resource: A short article or transcript about a topic you enjoy

Step-by-Step:

  1. Read 1–2 paragraphs out loud from an article or story in your target language.

  2. If you can’t pronounce a word, type it into Google Translate or use Forvo to hear the correct pronunciation.

  3. Keep a list of common words you struggle with—especially if they’re words you want to use when speaking.

  4. After each section, listen to 2 minutes of a native speaker (YouTube vlog, podcast, audiobook)—then go back to reading.

Vocabulary Review – 30 minutes

Goal: Focus only on the words you actually need—no massive vocabulary lists.

Example Words: From your “Daily Routine” monologue you might have: to brush teeth, schedule, dish soap, slippers.

Step-by-Step:

  1. Open your list from speaking and accent practice.

  2. Review those words in your custom Anki deck or write them out with example sentences.

  3. Don’t just memorize—say them out loud and try using them in new sentences. As much as possible connect vocabulary to context! Try not to have single words on flashcards.

Goal: Train your brain to hear natural language and absorb real pronunciation.

Step-by-Step:

  1. Pick a video that matches your current level.

  2. Watch once with English subtitles, then again with target language subtitles, and eventually no subs.

  3. Listen for how words are pronounced informally, and mimic short sentences aloud.

  4. Add any new or useful words to your vocab list and review later.

B1 & B2 Level Milestones Based on University Level Syllabi

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Here are some of the best books, sites, and apps I’ve used that have helped me!