Being Russian myself, I could pretty easily estimate amount of 'cheesy' factor in that documentary. All in all - while the picture of actual WORK or its environment might be OK, the narrative and the tone of the story told is way off reality. The translation (both to and from Russian) is mediocre at best; I wonder how much of the faults of this flick are because of poor interpreter's work.
It's not too far from standard 'bears-balalaika-sputnik' cliché. Pity. If you want more accurate picture of what Russia actually is (and how tough it might get at times), I _highly_ recommend another documentary called Long Way Round (2004) with brilliant Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman.