How do Russian palatalized consonants differ from plain consonants?

In Russian, the difference between palatalized ("soft") and plain ("hard") consonants lies in the position of the tongue during articulation.

When producing a palatalized consonant, the blade or front of the tongue is drawn up toward the hard palate, farther than it is for a plain consonant. Phonetically, these sounds are produced as if you are attempting to pronounce the specific consonant and a y sound simultaneously.1

This distinction serves as a fundamental feature of Russian phonology. While plain consonants are articulated without this secondary tongue movement, palatalized consonants create a "soft" quality that contrasts directly with their "hard" counterparts. For example, Modern Russian maintains a clear contrast between palatalized and nonpalatalized versions of dental sounds, such as t’, d’, s’, and z’ versus t, d, s, and z. Historically, this process was often linked to the adaptation of consonants to following front vowels, a characteristic that remains a defining element of the language's sound system today.2