Aim. To consider the pedagogical conditions ensuring the effectiveness of the phonetic skills formation among foreign students, as well as to determine the difficulties of their formation in teaching Russian as a foreign language. Methodology. A survey of students from African countries was done, the data processing and statistical analysis were carried out. The practical experience of teaching Russian to foreign students is summarized. Results. On the basis of the study, it can be concluded that the successful development of phonetic skills in Russian is facilitated by taking into account the characteristics of cognitive, mental processes, and the national mentality of foreign students. According to the author, a high level of the phonetic skills formation among foreign students contributes to their effective communication in a foreign language environment and the achievement of professional goals. Research implications. The study helps to identify the main difficulties for students from African countries in the process of teaching Russian pronunciation, to determine the ways to improve the methods of teaching Russian to foreign students from the above mentioned countries.