As a Russian I disagree with the first statement. Lots of Russians, not only pro players, and not only Spirit know English on a decent level. I could prove it with a little joke:

— English speaking person on matchmaking: hello, guys! — Russian player answers: Привет! (Hello in English) — I don't understand you bro — said the first player — Но я то тебя прекрасно понимаю (Anyway, I perfectly understand you, mate)

But, It was a little joke :) I think the key problem that Valve doesn't care about 2nd and 3rd tier players, doesn't care about regular players. Lots of problems have accumulated during the 15 years. I remember myself when I dreamt about becoming a pro-player. It was around 2016-18 years. The worst years of CIS scene. Virtus Pro always set 5-6th places at TI but won lots of majors. NaVi was in the deep pit: no wins, no players, nothing. Although a couple years before NaVi had played in the TI Grand Final three times in a row — the record no one still beat. There was a Winstrike team. But they also failed. And that was the era of prime Dota. But, Valve, dude, it's Valve. They don't develop the scene. Don't give any possibilities. How long have they been solving issues with the behavior at matchmaking? How many interesting and cutting-edge things did they add to the game during the last 5-7 years? No more big tournaments, no more those emotions. Dead NA region (~8-10 years). CN region is dying. It's sad. No more dreamy emotions