Russian Punctuation, when do we use commas?

Early Russian punctuation was based on Greek practice, since the Cyrillic alphabet is derived from the Greek; and by the 17th century several quite elaborate systems had evolved in different areas. Since the 18th century Russia has used a form of western European punctuation that has much in common with German practice: notably an even wider obligatory use of commas with subordinate and indeed coordinate clauses, and letter spacing (as well as italics) for emphasis. German quotation marks, French guillemots, and dashes may be used for direct speech.

However, you need to understand at least the basic rules.

Comma is used:

1. After the name of the one you address to: Оля, принеси мне чай. Olya, bring me some tea.

2. When enumerating something or describing something: У нас были белые, синие и красные карандаши. We had white, blue, and red pencils. Mind that you should not put a comma before the last item if there is an "и" copulative conjunction.

3. After a parenthetic word: Однако, он бросил эту затею. However, he gave up the idea.

4. Between two or more simple sentences consisting of a composite sentence if there is a conjunction between them. Нам удалось найти ключ, но мы не смогли открыть ворота. We managed to find the key but we failed to open the gate.

5. Before and after the dangling participle: Он шел вдоль дороги, напевая какую-то мелодию. He walked along the road, singing some song.

6. After an interjection: А, это ты... Oh, it's you...