Russia is obviously way too big to see everything in five days, but you can still have a good trip if you don't try to do everything within that.
Day 1: Arrive in Moscow and take it easy. You might be tired after travelling for a long flight, so I wouldn’t plan much on the first day. Walk around Red Square, see the Kremlin walls and maybe take a walk along the river in the evening. You don't need to pack the whole day.
Day 2: Explore Moscow. One thing I'd definitely check out is the metro. Some of the stations are surprisingly beautiful, with chandeliers, marble and huge decorations. You can also stop at GUM, which is right near Red Square, and grab something to eat before heading somewhere quieter.
Day 3: Train to St. Petersburg. The high-speed train takes less than four hours, so it's not an exhausting travel day. Once you arrive, spend the rest of the day walking around the canals and exploring a little rather than rushing straight into sightseeing.
Day 4: Hermitage day. Give yourself plenty of time here because there's a lot to see. Don't make the mistake of thinking you can see everything in a couple of hours. And yes, the Hermitage cats are a thing too. They've been kept there for centuries to help deal with rodents.
Day 5: Leave some room for whatever you missed. Maybe take a canal boat, walk around another part of the city or just go back to somewhere you enjoyed. I actually think having a slower final day makes a trip much nicer.
With only five days, I'd stick to Moscow and St. Petersburg. Siberia, Lake Baikal and Kamchatka are amazing places, but trying to squeeze them into the same trip would mean spending way too much time travelling.
Five days won't show you the whole country, obviously, but it's enough to get a feel for two very different sides of Russia without turning the trip into a checklist. Before planning your trip, it's worth checking the latest visa requirements for your nationality.
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