Reddit mentions of Afgantsy: The Russians in Afghanistan 1979-89

Is there a specific time frame you're looking at, or a specific segment?

To begin, its important to understand that the Soviet Armed Forces after 1967 relied primarily on a system of conscription for two years, with intakes twice a year that coincided with the end of the agricultural intensity of spring and autumn, so the rhythm and structure of training is going to be based around that.

The Soviet Soldier would have received before his induction some preliminary as part of his schooling, collective farm, or enterprise. Further, the Soviet military would conduct some measure of "Russianization" amongst the myriad ethnic groups in the Soviet Union, as well as education in Communist ideology.

For initial training, whereas a US Soldier would generally attend basic training with a specific training unit, Soviet Soldiers were assigned to operational units from the very beginning. They would be given a brief (few days up to 4 weeks) course in their new unit, which, combined with their preliminary, preinduction training, was considered sufficient, and they would be assigned to an operational company.

After 1970, the Soviets began a greater emphasis on group training and field exercises, as well as on practical training rather than theoretical training. This includes strong elements of rigor; combat procedures and risk were present to a much larger degree during Soviet training, including use of live fire, bombing runs in near proximity to ground units, and the use of surprise and risk. Checks on this include the desire not to expend too much actual materiel, and the Soviet's reliance on testing. Oftentimes the training value of an exercise would be undermined to ensure a better evaluation grade for the conducting commander.

To give a specific example of what training would look like, let's look at a Soviet Motor Rifle squad. Much of their training would have been picked up from their preinduction training, which could include basic weapon manipulation and first aid training, basic drill, rudimentary tactical training, among other things. (This is heavily dependent on where the recruit comes from). The remaining portion would have been conducted with their unit, in this case a Motor Rifle Regiment. The Soviet Army contained many ethnic groups, many of whom do not speak Russian well, or at all. This, combined with the lack of a strong NCO cadre found in Western armies, means that the soldiers would have been taught simple combat drills which they follow almost by rote, with no incentive towards initiative. These would be tested via tactical exercises, which are often very elementary in comparison with NATO ones.

Post-Afghanistan, there was some attempt to remediate the failings of a weak NCO cadre and lack of professionalization. I do not know how they progressed.

Sources: Goldhammer, Soviet Soldier. This is a technical level book aimed at understanding the training, indoctrination and manpower policies of the Soviet Army during the Cold War. If my ramblings don't suffice, I suggest you check it out.

Zaloga, Red Thrust. An examination of the major combat branches of the Soviet armed forces, it covers to some degree the training, tactics, equipment and background of the Soviet Soldier. A pleasant read, highly recommend.

Further reading:
Afghansty: The Russians in Afghanistan I just started reading this book, its a collective history of the Russian Soldiers in Afghanistan. It seems good thus far, and is related to your question.

Edit:
It was 3 years prior to this. Officers, technical specialists, NCOs would all serve longer, among others.