Stoch capitalised on a bad mistake by Russia keeper Igor Akinfeev to fire the visitors ahead midway through the first half and against the run of play.
The usually reliable Akinfeev gave the ball away just outside his penalty box and an unmarked Stoch calmly blasted into the top corner.
"This is a fantastic result for us as Russia are one of the best teams in Europe," beaming Slovakia coach Vladimir Weiss told a news conference. "We have a young team but we're getting better with every day."
The home team began confidently, testing Slovakia keeper Jan Mucha several times from long range. The Slovaks were content to soak up the pressure and threaten on the counter-attack - their plan working to perfection with Stoch's strike.
Russia coach Dick Advocaat was left to rue missed opportunities. "Obviously, I'm very disappointed," said the Dutchman, who succeeded compatriot Guus Hiddink in May after Russia failed to qualify for this year's World Cup.
"We had so many chances and couldn't score. Our opponents didn't create any of their own - we gave them their only chance and they took full advantage of it," he added.
"The luck was clearly not on our side tonight."
