Historically, Russian families have always been very close-knit. There's even a logic understood only by old Russian families - "The bigger the family, the more workers it has in the field and the bigger the harvest the family can grow." Having a big family wasn't ideal solely because it ensured you would never be alone. It was ideal because it increased your odds of survival or in the case of Russian nobility, big families ensured that power would remain among their lineage.

Look no further than Tolstoy’s novels and you will find the concept of 'big family' idealized in the form of a happy and functioning family unit. The Socialist Revolution played a major factor in the development of the big family culture. Families of 5 to 6 and sometimes more were living together, confined to one room like a studio apartment. These living conditions accustomed families to be even closer if not out of sheer necessity. So when considering a relationship with a Russian woman, you need to understand what deep her ties are with her parents; who raised her, especially with her mother.
Obviously, you would do well to remember the name of your Russian bride, but make an additional effort to remember the name of her mother. Older people in Russia use two names – given and patronymic. It is not very common to address an older person by the first (given) name. Learn her mother’s full name and ask how she is doing in your letters. On the 8th of March (a widely celebrated holiday in Russia – International Women’s Day), you absolutely must congratulate your Russian lady as well as her mother and any other female relative of hers.
Remember that your Russian woman needs to decide if she wants to share her life with you. She should be sure that you will be respectful to her parents; otherwise, it will be twice as difficult for her to make that step. While visiting, be sure to ask to be introduced to her parents. Don’t forget to bring flowers for her mother and be sure to strike up a dialog with her just to show you care. Tell her about yourself and why you want to court her daughter. Tell the mother where you live, what you do for a living, etc. Show pictures of your house if you want to. Make sure the mother knows where you are taking her daughter. More importantly, make her believe that you will take good care of her daughter. However, keep in mind that sometimes young women want to leave their parents’ place and play house of their own.

In Russia, it is not very easily achieved – usually you can’t just go and rent an apartment. In this case the only way is to marry someone. If you Russian lady had been divorced already, ask questions. Maybe that was the case, and now she is more careful and mature than she was before. And maybe she is not, and she just continues in the old ways. Main thing to remember is that you can either have her mother on your side or against you. In the first case it will be much easier for you to persuade your Russian sweetheart to follow you in the unknown territory while in the second case you will be fighting very strong emotions involved. A little effort to charm your girl’s mother may go a long way when the time of a big decision comes.