Мишень висит на стене.

Because after на when it means location (on, at), Russian usually uses the prepositional case.

• dictionary form: стена = wall
• prepositional singular: на стене = on the wall

So:

• на стене = on the wall, at the wall's surface
• на стену = onto the wall, toward the wall

This is a very important contrast:

• Мишень висит на стене. = The target is hanging on the wall.
• Повесили мишень на стену. = They hung the target onto the wall.

Location = на стене
Direction/movement onto something = на стену

Висеть is the infinitive, meaning to hang.
Висит is the 3rd person singular present-tense form, meaning hangs / is hanging.

Conjugation of висеть:

• я вишу
• ты висишь
• он / она / оно висит
• мы висим
• вы висите
• они висят

Since мишень is singular, the verb must also be singular:

• Мишень висит. = The target hangs / is hanging.

In the present tense, Russian usually omits the verb to be.

So English:

• The target is on the wall
• The target is hanging on the wall

Russian can simply say:

• Мишень на стене.
• Мишень висит на стене.

There is no present-tense is in normal Russian sentences like this.
That is completely standard.

It can mean both, depending on context.

Russian present tense often covers both:

• hangs (general description)
• is hanging (current state)

So Мишень висит на стене can mean:

• the target hangs on the wall
• the target is hanging on the wall

In natural English, is hanging on the wall is often the best translation, but grammatically Russian does not need a separate progressive form like English does.

Because на commonly means on when something is located on a surface.

A wall is treated as a surface, so:

• на стене = on the wall

This is similar to:

• картина на стене = a picture on the wall
• часы на стене = a clock on the wall

Russian often uses на with surfaces and places where something is positioned on or at something.

Yes. Russian word order is more flexible than English word order.

The neutral version is:

• Мишень висит на стене.

But you could also say:

• На стене висит мишень.

Both are correct. The difference is mainly focus or emphasis.

• Мишень висит на стене. → starts with the target; good as a neutral statement.
• На стене висит мишень. → starts with the location; often sounds like There is a target hanging on the wall.

Russian word order often depends on what is already known and what is new information.

Because мишень is a feminine noun in Russian, even though it ends in ь.

Many nouns ending in ь can be either masculine or feminine, so you often have to learn the gender with the word.
In this case:

• мишень = feminine

That matters for agreement in other contexts, for example:

• новая мишень = a new target
• эта мишень = this target

In the present tense here, the verb form висит does not show gender, so you do not see the femininity in the verb. But the noun itself is feminine.

The soft sign does not have its own sound. Its main job is to show that the preceding consonant is soft.

So in мишень, the final н is soft: roughly nʲ.

It also helps indicate the noun pattern. Feminine nouns like мишень belong to a group often called the third declension.

So the ь is important both for:

• pronunciation
• grammar

The stress is:

• мишЕнь
• висИт
• на стенЕ

So the whole sentence is:

• мишЕнь висИт на стенЕ

A rough English-style guide:

• мишень ≈ mee-SHEN'
• висит ≈ vee-SEET
• на стене ≈ na stye-NYE

A few pronunciation notes:

• ш is like English sh
• the final нь in мишень is soft
• е after a soft consonant often sounds somewhat like ye
• unstressed о would often reduce in Russian, but there is no о here

Yes, you can.

• Мишень на стене. = The target is on the wall.
• Мишень висит на стене. = The target is hanging on the wall.

The version with висит gives a more specific picture: the target is not just located there, it is hanging there.

So both are correct, but висит adds detail.

Russian has no articles.

So Мишень could mean:

• a target
• the target

The exact meaning depends on context.

For example:

• На стене висит мишень. could mean There is a target hanging on the wall.
• Мишень висит на стене. could mean The target is hanging on the wall.

Russian speakers understand definiteness from the situation, word order, and context.

No. Висеть / висит is used for many things that are suspended or hanging:

• Картина висит на стене. = The painting is hanging on the wall.
• Лампа висит над столом. = The lamp is hanging above the table.
• Пальто висит в шкафу. = The coat is hanging in the closet.

Russian often chooses different positional verbs depending on how something is situated:

• висит = hangs
• стоит = stands
• лежит = lies

So Russians often describe an object's position more specifically than English does.

They mean different locations.

• на стене = on the wall
• у стены = by the wall / next to the wall

So:

• Мишень висит на стене. = The target is attached to the wall.
• Мишень стоит у стены. = The target is standing by the wall.

This is a very common distinction in Russian prepositions.

No, not in standard Russian.

After висит, you are describing where something is, so you need the prepositional case:

• на стене

Using на стену would suggest movement onto the wall, but висит does not express movement here.

So:

• correct: Мишень висит на стене.
• incorrect: Мишень висит на стену.

If you want movement, use a verb of motion or placement:

• Повесили мишень на стену. = They hung the target onto the wall.

The verb висеть is imperfective.

That makes sense because the sentence describes a state or ongoing situation, not a completed action.

• висеть = to be hanging
• повесить = to hang something up, to put it up

Compare:

• Мишень висит на стене. = The target is hanging on the wall.
  State/resulting position.
• Он повесил мишень на стену. = He hung the target on the wall.
  Completed action.

So here Russian is describing the state, not the action of putting it there.