Quick answer
A Russian block is divided into подъе́зды — separate entrances, each with its own stairwell and door code.
The building
The people
Address and problems
Giving your address
The order is street, building, entrance, flat: У́лица Ле́нина, дом 5, подъе́зд 2, кварти́ра 48. The подъе́зд matters because each has its own front door and code, and a taxi or a courier will ask for it.
Neighbour etiquette
Drilling and loud work are limited by regional rules, usually banned before nine in the morning, after ten at night and during an afternoon quiet hour. The sentence to know is Извини́те, по́сле десяти́ нельзя́ шуме́ть. And greeting neighbours in the stairwell with Здра́вствуйте is normal and expected.
Typical mistakes
в подъе́зде 2 — wrong order in an address
дом 5, подъе́зд 2, кварти́ра 48
Russian addresses go from big to small.
на пе́рвом этаже́ = ground floor?
yes — пе́рвый эта́ж is the ground floor
Russian counts the ground floor as the first.
Check yourself
What is a подъе́зд?