(Edited). You can set up a Tinkoff account online via their app (they are an online only bank). You can initiate it from Australia and finalise it once you get there. They will organise an English speaking rep for you although your wife can look after it as a Russian speaker. You can use your Australian mobile number, they will personally bring the Tinkoff card to you at home or a hotel (best in a big metro area like Moscow etc) with an English speaking rep if required and all you need to show is your passport and visa which they will photograph, you do not need an address in Russia. They will also give you a Russian SIM card as part of the package and you can use that if you don't already have one.
You can take up to $10,000 USD equivalent in cash each (preferably in USD or EUR) without declaring it to customs on the way in, and can take more if you declare it, then convert whatever you want to Rubles at a money exchange and deposit it at Tinkoff partner top-up spots: MTS, Contact, Zolotaya Korona (CoronaPay), or give it to friends who can transfer money to your account from their local account. The 'friends with a Belarus EUR account' also might work and I am about to try that myself.
Keep enough money in the account when you leave to pay for the phone fees so it's there for when you go back. I haven't tried Raiffeisenbank but that might also be an option for international transfers if you can also get a Raiffeisenbank account outside of Russia it might make it easier but I haven't tried that yet. You will need to go to a branch in Russia, there is a post on this website about banking.
I was able to send money from an Australian bank (NAB) to a contact in Moscow who has a Raiffeisenbank account although it was routed via a US 'correspondent bank' and it will be scrutinised by the NAB security team as to the purpose, you probably already know that but I'm mentioning it here for others.
Also check out Revolut (another online bank) and their metal card for overseas travelling and exchange in general, it's great.
Don't bother with Australian banks and their pricey and limited travel money cards with high Forex, ATM and OS purchase fees. You can sign up to Revolut Australia online and run multiple international currency accounts easily. The card defaults to the currency account you use at checkout (i.e. if you have a Zloty account and buy something in Poland it will use that account). You can also withdraw large sums from ATMS, I once took out 3,500 EUR in one go from a Polish ATM before crossing the border later into Russia. An Australian card won't do that.
It would be great to be able to have an accessible savings account in Russia as the bank interest is really high there, unfortunately the current money transfer situation makes that almost impossible.
Hope this advice helps.