Five Mistakes Russian Language Learners Make

1. They ignore the cultural context

Culture brings a language to life. Finding an interesting aspect of the Russian culture and learning about it through reading, watching and listening helps to make language learning less tedious and more focused. It also helps to be more open-minded about strangeness and foreignness of an unfamiliar language and customs. In language learning an attitude can be a key factor. The culturally curious learners will be more receptive to the language and more open to communication with native speakers. 
Helpful resources:  Weekly Russian YouTube Channel, Star Media YouTube Channel