I speak a perfect Russian.
It means I speak, read and write in Russian.
When in Russian I speak only Russian since it's obvious I don't have a need for any other language.
People in Russia can almost never guess that I'm a foreigner.
They mostly think I'm from Voronezh because I speak Russian with accent sounding like from Voronezh.
Yes speaking Russian can help greatly in Russia.
Basically it can be of great help for occassional visits to Russia.
But if you're a frequent in Russia and almost exclusivelly go to provinces (like me) I found that speaking Russian can be obstacle also.
Because people in Russia like when a foreigner speaks their language but they don't like if a foreigner speaks Russian to well.
Becuase they don't like if you understand when they speak and plan something meaning they are an open book for you.
