update

Thanks for the comments, friends. The passport came in the mail today. I am tentatively scheduled to leave on Friday evening, arriving at home on Monday morning (Russia time). I have not yet received confirmation of the ticket change, or bought the train ticket, so this is not for sure. But it's progress. And I don't have to call the embassy anymore! (I did call 228 times today, though, before finding out the passport had come...)

More info later.