You link point to "Attention Plasma/RGB Monitor Owners" on directv site.
I have found 4 channels from http://www.freetoairsatellites.net.tf/.
If somebody can confirm those channels.
Tnks.
To quote the fine folks at Global Communications (http://www.global-cm.net/mpeg2basics.html): "A great number of channels available Free-To-Air in MPEG-2 are those from other countries. Such availability is contingent upon somebody paying the bill for satellite transmission ... Problem is that this 'free' reception sometimes gets too popular, and the powers that be at a company such as DISH Network decide to encode the incoming international signal; thus forcing all viewers that want that signal to subscribe. This scenario has played out before in the past for channels from Poland, Russia, and other signals."
In short, there are enough Russian-language viewers in the US who are able and willing to pay to subscribe. I'm sad to say that there is little reason to expect Russian FTA channels here any time soon.