The purpose of this study is to determine and describe the conditions that ensure the formation of a phonetic culture of a non-native speaker. The research considers theory and practice of phonetic culture formation in the field of Russian as a foreign language. The research material includes academic sources on research issues, empirical data on the practice of teaching foreign students at RUDN University, which is one of the leading international scientific and applied centres for teaching Russian as a foreign language. The research methodology is based on a qualitative paradigm, combines a comparative expert analysis of the research materials indicated above and the author's 50-year old experience in teaching Russian to foreigners. The papers provide the comprehensive definition of the phonetic culture as part of a student's linguistic competence within the communication process. The research relevance relates to the role of oral communication in modern society, the potential of ICT tools in training the phonetic culture of a foreigner.