Russia is far too big to sum up neatly, particularly if you include all the countries which made up the former USSR. From the fertile fields of the Russian heartland, across the rugged peaks of the Urals, over the boundless wastes and forests of Siberia, the geography is as varied as you will find anywhere.
Add to that the paranoia of the "Russian soul", plus the paranoia that seems to come naturally to the Muslim mind, plus the paranoia encouraged by Putin under the guise of nationalism, and travel in Russia is an affair of endless checks, security, control and surveillance.
Which is a shame, because the Russians themselves, if you can meet them as individuals, are as friendly and welcoming as anyone else in the world. There are, however, two concepts which seem to be beyond their capability to understand: vegetarian and teetotal.