This study examines the pronunciation of English vowels and consonants (i.e., segmental level) among four ethnic groups in Russia: Russians, Tatars, Bashkirs, and Udmurts, focusing on the influence of the ethnic first languages (L1s) and the role of Russian as an additional L1. It provides a sociolinguistic context by exploring Russia’s ethnolinguistic diversity, language policies, and the role of English within its multilingual society. A contrastive analysis of the phonetic and phonological systems of English and the ethnic languages of the studied groups (Bashkir, Russian, Tatar, and Udmurt) helps identify potential areas of L1 transfer and variation. The core of the study consists of empirical research, based on recordings from 98 informants reading the “The boy who cried wolf” passage, which were analyzed using acoustic and auditory methods. The findings reveal tendencies of intra- and inter-group variation, demonstrating how factors such as L1 transfer, the role of Russian as a secondary L1, exposure to English, and standardized English teaching in Russia contribute to these differences. Overall, the study provides valuable insights into the complexities of English pronunciation across different ethnic groups in Russia and deepens our understanding of non-native accent formation and language transfer in multilingual contexts.