[gagdetdad]

All my local/international contacts start with +. To test, dial a local contact and prefix the number with +1 XXX-XXX-XXX . Trust me you will not be charged for a international call. This is how I have been doing for the past 10 years
To insert + , press and hold the 0 key on the dialpad.

+ indicates to the phone's network to prefix the outgoing number with international dialing code

By using + one can avoid typing the networks international dialing code anywhere in the world.

I am guessing you are prepending your call to Russia with 011? Whereas lets say you had to call from Russia to US then you would prepend the phone number with whatever Russia's international dialing code is. If you are a traveler then you would have to remember each country's international dialing code. To avoid the hassle, prepend the phone number with + and the network will take care converting the + to international dialing code.