What on earth is Russian accent?
I'm a very Russian beginner. Russian is not esteemed a pitch-accent language, so I think I can read its words as English whereby syllables with accents are pronounced stronger (and longer and clearer).

But then I doubt that it probably is not (or at least not always) the way the Russian people speak. Quite a few times I've heard from articles with recordings for example words that the syllable accented is not pronounced most strong. [ I cannot read text yet, oops, nor listen to continuous speech. Actually I know no more than 10 words for now. oops oops ]

For example, the word поэтому [pɐˈɛtəmʊ] in Wikitionary is pronounced with the most stressed syllable being по, and the pitch contour being something like по4э1то2му2. The stressed syllable is pronounced neither most strong nor most high-pitched.

So could you please help me, the confused Russian beginner who is completely lost over how to make the Russian word accent? What in essence is the Russian accent? Is it stress, pitch accent or actually something else?

Question

What on earth is Russian accent?
I'm a very Russian beginner. Russian is not esteemed a pitch-accent language, so I think I can read its words as English whereby syllables with accents are pronounced stronger (and  longer and clearer).

But then I doubt that it probably is not (or at least not always) the way the Russian people speak. Quite a few times I've heard from articles with recordings for example words that the syllable accented is not pronounced most strong. [ I cannot read text yet, oops, nor listen to continuous speech. Actually I know no more than 10 words for now. oops oops ]

For example, the word поэтому  [pɐˈɛtəmʊ] in Wikitionary is pronounced with the most stressed syllable being по, and the pitch contour being something like по4э1то2му2. The stressed syllable is pronounced neither most strong nor most high-pitched.

So could you please help me, the confused Russian beginner who is completely lost over how to make the Russian word accent? What in essence is the Russian accent? Is it stress, pitch accent or actually something else?

Answer

In Russian, very much like in English, the stress is associated with a peak in intensity and a greater duration, so stressed syllables are louder and longer than unstressed syllables. Duration is more important in perceiving stress then intensity. On average, stressed syllables are 1.5-2 times longer. Pitch doesn't play a role.

In addition to that, Russian has a pattern of vowel reduction in unstressed syllables.

It's interesting that you perceive the stressed [ɛ] in поэтому as the first tone in Chinese. I suppose, it might be because the first tone is flat and monotone (not falling/rising) which makes it a bit longer.

Answer

Hello! In my humble opinion to pronounce Russian words with a correct accent, you should pay attention to stress. The best way to do this is to listen to native Russian speakers and try to copy them. I hope it will help you somehow. If you have more questions, feel free to ask :)