Is Russian as difficult to learn as they say?

Renowned polyglot, interpreter, psycholinguist and TV host Dmitry Petrov talks about the incentives for learning the Russian language. Read it! 

RBTH: What is the role of psychology in foreign language learning?Dmitry Petrov (D.P.): Learning a new language is about both psychology and mathematics. A range of basic algorithms makes language learning akin to mathematics, and psychology is about removing barriers, feeling at ease, having an enjoyable experience. Many learners panic about making mistakes, which often is more of a problem than the objective challenges of taking in new information.