An article in Pravda provides a brief outline of Russia's DTV plans. The English translation in the article, Digital television to hit Russia only in 10 years is somewhat difficult to understand, but the quote from Deputy Minister for Information Technologies and Communications Boris Antonyuk is clear. "In six years, half of Russians will have digital TV sets and the analog television will become obsolete in Russia by 2016, the deputy minister for information technologies and communications said."
To complete the digital transition, federal TV channels will begin digital satellite transmission this year, and the satellite group transmitting the signal to the entire country will be upgraded in 2006. TV sets capable of receiving both analog and digital signals will be available in 2007.
Experimental digital TV is already being broadcast in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Nizhny Novgorod. Pravda said is it planned that owners of digital TV sets will get their decoders for free, while "Internet, on-line TV and video orders" will be a paid service.
If you read Russian, the original article in Russian may provide more understandable information.
