Russian soil quality standards (maximum permissible concentrations) exist only for Mn, Pb and V out of the many heavy metals (HMs) indicative of soil pollution resulting from hydrocarbon mining. This paper presents a comparative analysis of the total content of Ba, Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn as well as Mn, Pb and V in background soils of Western Siberia (Russia) in relation to the wider range of available internationally recognised assessment criteria. The criteria used include the increase in abundance of elements relatively to the upper part of the continental earth's crust, their levels in background soils of other countries and their threshold concentration values for soils of residential and/or agricultural areas in soil quality standards (SQSs) of Netherlands, Germany, the USA and Canada. Specified countries have similar soils and background concentrations of HMs and well-developed methodologies for soil quality assessment. It is concluded that Cu, Ni and Zn levels in West-Siberian background soils are harmless for an ecosystem and human health, while Ba, Cr, Mn, Pb and V concentrations in some of the soils studied are above threshold values (ThVs) and, therefore, require special attention through further assessment. The studied Retisols, Phaeozems and Chernozems of Western Siberia are characterized by the following range of mean concentrations (mg kg−1) of HMs in topsoil: Ba 373–1360, Cr 5–212, Cu 5–100, Mn 50–1800, Ni 7–100, Pb 5–35, V 5–180, and Zn 10–135. In preliminary assessment of contaminated soils within a coniferous forest and forest-steppe ecosystems of Western Siberia, it is most suitable to use the following national ThVs for HMs (mg kg−1): Canadian Pb (45), German Ni (140) and Cr (400) and Dutch Cu (96) and, considering the local geochemical background (especially for the folic horizon of Retisols), it is also appropriate to use Russian Mn (1500), Canadian Zn (200) and Dutch Ba (890). An eluvial pattern of vertical differentiation is typical for total Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn in Retisols, Ni and Pb in Phaeozems and Cr, Ni and Pb in Chernozems. In topsoil of background landscapes at Western Siberia, total Mn (in all soils studied), Cu (in Phaeozems), Zn (in Phaeozems and Chernozems), as well as mobile Mn (in Retisols and Phaeozems), Ni (in Retisols) and Zn (in Phaeozems) accumulates.