IMPORTANT
Foreigners may travel through the territory of the Russian Federation without a transit visa in the following cases:
- if they make a non-stop air flight over the territory of the Russian Federation;
- if they make an international air flight e.g. arrival and departure from the same airport and staying in transit zone.
- if they reside in a country, that has signed a Visa Free agreement with the Russian Federation. 
A transit visa permits to travel through the Russian territory without a lengthy stay in the country. It is issued for up to 72 hours if you travel by air, and for up to 10 days if using other means of transportation.
To obtain a transit visa you should submit the following documents to the Consular Section:
1. Double sided completed application form http://visa.kdmid.ru, one per person. Application form must be signed and dated. Make sure your application is addressed to the EMBASSY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION IN AUSTRALIA 
2. One professional passport sized photo (3,5 x 4.5 cm) The photo should be glued (not stapled or attached using adhesive tape) to the specially marked place of the application form.
3. National passport (original) valid for at least 6 months after the intended date of departure from Russia. At least one page of the passport should be free from notes.
4. The original or a photocopy of your confirmed air, railway or other tickets to and from Russia.
5. Valid visa to enter the country neighboring Russia or a visa of the country of destination or a passport of the country of destination. 
After you receive your visa, please check it for possible mistakes (passport number, date of birth, term of validity etc.) and, if necessary, return it to us for corrections. The Consular Section will not be responsible for the mistakes, which were not brought to its attention before your departure from Australia.
ATTENTION! There are additional requirements for non-Australian citizens (permit to study, work in Australia for more than 90 days, resident permit, etc.).
Citizens of the Russian Federation, regardless of any other citizenship they have, must travel to Russia on valid Russian documents only.
Please, carefully fill in the visa information in the application form and follow all other requirements when submitting your papers. When applying be advised that the permission to enter the Russian Federation is a courtesy of the State. 
Visa can be denied if the consular officer has serious reasons to believe that the applicant's visit to the Russian Federation is not desirable, and the disclosure of the reason for the denial can be withheld.
The validity and type of visa should be strictly connected to the purpose of visit. When in Russia, you cannot change your visa status i.e. from tourist to business or from business to guest and vice versa. To do that, you have to leave the country and re-enter on different visa.