>>3849273 lb
It makes perfect sense that the Russians would not only support, but help with 'The Plan'.
Kings rarely die in their sleep. They are killed by someone close…in 'republics' or things that look like them, it's a shove out or an assassination, but the net result is you lose…power is life to kings.
HRC was dealing with dirty Russians on U1…which means Russian intelligence had two targets of long standing surveillance. Their own oligarchs (the Dukes) and your prime adversary's No. 3…another known criminal. The 'King', Putin, would keep close tabs on both…and VERY close tabs on the 'Dukes'…they're the ones that you really need to worry about.
If you discover in your monitoring that the true nature of the adversary is to result in the nuclear immolation of you and your countrymen, by trickery and forcing your own hand, wouldn't you work to undo that? Perhaps even set up barricades, mine fields, smoke screens, provide and accept resources and assistance, etc… to help in that effort…?
Of course you would…no one wants to be a nuclear cinder so egomaniacal demons can rebuild on your ashes. Those demons, have in fact, become an existential threat to you and your adversary. The enemy of my enemy kind of thing.
Putin is anything but a fool.