That’s not a valid excuse. When you learn a new language, you learn to speak it as a native.
I screw up my articles all the time in the other languages I know. But I at least know that a mistake was made and correct myself. These guys just don’t have a clue.
Of course they do not have a clue. It is a totally alien concept to them: articles are just extra words that carry no information!
(No, I’m defending or attacking anyone...)
Indeed. I took Russian classes in college. Admittedly, it's easier to learn to do without articles than to learn articles, but I still couldn't just make stuff up, such as instead of "Eto okno" -- This is (a) window --, using "Eto bongmaster okno", in which bongmaster would be some made-up article. Native speakers would have thought me mad!