"I think somebody who speaks the language is going to notice immediately that I'm not Russian"

Nicholas Lea's quote recommends that he is not a native Russian speaker. He suggests that someone who is a native Russian speaker will be able to tell that he is not a native speaker. This might be due to his accent, pronunciation, or absence of understanding of particular words or expressions. It could also be because of his lack of fluency in the language. He might not have the ability to express himself as clearly as a native speaker, or he may not be able to understand particular subtleties of the language. This quote indicates that he knows his constraints when it pertains to speaking the language, and that he is not attempting to pass himself off as a native speaker. It likewise recommends that he is modest and truthful about his language abilities.