Russian women are said to be 'the most beautiful women in the world'. Many of them have almond eyes. They are tall and thin with long legs; most of them are blond, and they have pink cheeks in Winter. They like to reveal their beautiful bodies as you will be able to witness if you go to Russia in summer or visit a night club.
As stupid as these generalizations may sound, they are mostly true. It is much harder to describe the character of a "typical" young Russian woman, because it depends so much on subculture she comes from. It may be easier just to point out some inherently "Russian" traits, which may explain some of the unexpected behavior you will get.
A typical Russian woman seems like she knows what she's doing and affirms herself. Russian women, especially young women, are quite pushy in everyday life. Perhaps the fact that you have to be a "fighter" in Russia to succeed make this side of their character come out more often. But it doesn't mean they are straightforward and independent in a relationship. For example, it's considered a bad tone for a woman to come up to a man as the "old-school" morals are still quite strong. Flirting often becomes a game where you are expected to make the first moves.
If you have a Russian girlfriend, she will expect you to nurture her, to accompany her everywhere, to open a door for her, to pay her bills, in short, to be very courteous – a real gentleman. On the other side, she will be happy to help you push through a long queue, win an argument with a policeman about your outdated visa registration, drink more vodka at one night than you did during the last 3 months, and hit you hard if you behave bad.
Russian girls want to succeed in life, but they are very romantic. They will plunge into relationship without having a second thought if they feel like it. They will spend all day walking around aimlessly holding your hand even if they have an important exam to take the next morning. They will go to the end of the world to stay with their lover. They will expect much of you, but will give even more in return.
Don't expect the practicality you may find in the West. According to statistics (2005) only 25% of women in Russia use contraceptives. The most common way to avoid pregnancy (> 50%) is abortion. AIDS and STDs are on the rise. Russian girls in general are very lax about protection when having sex, so think about it unless you want to plunge together.
Some people ask why so many Russian girls are looking to meet a man from the West. First of all, it's not true any longer. Ten years ago when the economic conditions were really bad, some women saw it as a way out of poverty and daily struggle. But nowadays life is better and people want to stay in their own country. Some women also have this belief that Western men are much more gentle, attentive and amiable with women than Russian men. So if you manage to demonstrate these qualities, you have chances.