Tips

The answer is NO.

Sometimes people will round up to the nearest amount leaving some change but in general there is little tipping.

Ruth

I'm not sure about other cities (have to get out more probably), but in Moscow and StPete you leave around 10 percent of the bill in all but self-service places. Note that the tip is never included in your bill. If you have the correct amount in cash, just give it to them - that is, if your bill comes out at 900R for two, just give them 1000. And the other way round - if you give them 1000 to settle a 900-rouble bill, the waiters will assume it's their tip so don't wait for them to give you any change. If you pay by card, proper etiquette is to leave the 10 percent in cash after you sign the slip and they bring you your card back.

There seems to be some disagreement in the responses.
From my experience....living in St Peterburg for the last 4 years and visiting Russia ever year for 32 years I can say they are all right to a dregree.
During Soviet times is was not done, wait staff earned enough in comparison to other jobs to not have to depend on tips. A doctor and store clerk might have similar incomes at that time. Now, a national health care doctor makes less than a good waitress, private clinic doctors earn much more however.
Tips are becoming common among Russians in larger cities, where most social customs of Europe and the US have been adopted.
10% is typical if tips are paid seperately, but many cafes, restaurants and pubs add a Service Charge that is pooled and divided between all the employees at the end of the day. That addresses the unrewarded efforts by the non-public contact staff such as prep cooks, janitors and dishwashers. The added Service Charge can be as high as 20% so check before leaving a tip. It is usually the last item on the bill above the total.
Tourist often tip more if from western Europe or North America but Scandinavians usually do not tip waitstaff at all. They live in a area that have living wages for waitstaff, so it is not considered polite to suggest otherwise with a tip.

Adding a service charge to the bill is extremely rare. I don't think I saw it more then once or twice. Are you sure you're not mistaking some sort of state tax (НДС? НСП? whatever) for a service charge imposed by a restaurant?

I side with apoivre. I usually leave a tip, sometimes I do not, it is not taken as an offence.

Apoivre
I am going only by my long time experience as a diner, and from my industry involvment. It was actually more common for the service charge a few years ago, before Russians started tipping, so in the last week I was charged 12.5% and 20% in two different restaurants/pubs. If they know me, they usually leave off the service charge knowing that I would probably tip higher if it was not on the tab.
In cafes and pubs where there is a discount card on file for me, I leave whatever the discount was...usually 20%. One place I go to often gave a 35% discount card which is higher then the gross-profit for bill is but in that place I leave 15-20%. I prefaced my remarks on a prior post about the information was for larger cities. I happen to live in SPb

Must be a StPete thing. I live in Moscow and I really don't see much of it, if any. Oh, and folks here started tipping way earler than a few years ago.