I don't judge people by their accents or things of this nature, but comparing to other non-native English speakers I don't think Eastern Europeans sound "charming". It's not bad, neither is it good. It's just how it sounds to my ears (and I'm a native Russian speaker myself).
The main thing is WHAT a person says, not HOW. Say, Churkin has a typical Russian accent, but only imbeciles (who judge others by their accents) can bring up this "issue" ignoring WHAT he actually says.
So if it's a native Russian (Slavic) speaker with apodictically high level of intelligence and dignity I won't even "hear" his/her accent.
IMO the most charming accents are Irish, Scottish and Scandinavian. But then again, it doesn't really change anything: if it's a moral freak he/she is still a moral freak. Sometimes I do wonder whether Samantha Power lost her mind when she was working hard on losing her Dublin accent, but I still can't find enough proofs to state that there is a strong connection between sanity and accent.
Most interesting - I have a friend at work who is actually from Portugal but he went to a college in Russia where he learnt English and he now has a Russian Accent - slowly fading the longer he remains here in London.
Here's President Vladimir Putin speaking England - very good it is too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K3johUe...
President Putin also speaks French and German.
The Olympic speech is most interesting since it ties Russia nicely in with Classical Greece through history and mythology.
A gentleman with considerable charm.
In my childhood (WW2) we had very good (excellent) relations with Russia and the Russian people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D-0pEjV...
I hope we can return to that.
I am mindful that it was the invincible Red Army with the mighty Archangel Saint Michael at their head, which stormed the bastions of the anti-Christ, Adolf Hitler and destroyed him and his minions.
Archangel Saint Michael - destroyer of the Devil
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/co...
This is how it was and how it should be.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3kyAi-OtOg
Not far from where I live we have a statue of Tsar Peter the Great - he had worked as a shipwright in the dockyards at Deptford.
https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1256&bih=593&q=peter+the+great+statue+deptford&oq=peter+the+great+statue+deptford&gs_l=img.3..0.1645.15187.0.16362.44.18.6.20.25.0.110.1084.17j1.18.0....0...1ac.1.56.img..9.35.1129.doRLhe3Xgds
There are a number of Russian Orthodox Churches here in London - but this is the most spectacular.
http://russianball.co.uk/en/news/church.html
Christmas soon -
https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1256&bih=593&q=russian+orthodox+church+christmas+in+moscow&oq=russian+orthodox+church+christmas+in+moscow&gs_l=img.3...1993.11969.0.12690.53.22.5.26.26.0.66.775.22.22.0....0...1ac.1.56.img..14.39.737.jNOFzt74bSY
Peace in all the World
"For unto us a Child is Born" (Part of George Handel's Messiah).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAW7kcEb6LE
London UK
You are interesting people! What you think my attitude must be, if russian is my mother tongue?
That would be "proud owner", I think.
