I have always thought of the hard right and the Russian political apparatus as strange bedfellows, at least going by socioeconomic views of yore. The way I explain this to myself is the following. The decline of the former Soviet block pushed those at the helm to desperately try to regain some level of control in the world stage in order to stay relevant and stay in power. Causing internal chaos in the US as a more effective extension of traditional and explicit cyberattacks was one such move for which they sought to exploit the sentiments and disgruntlement of a base that would take the country backwards, or minimally keep it in a sustained state of conflict. The phenomenal success of this move is not something even these players might have anticipated, and this is where it goes back to the deep-rooted bigotry and resentment that had been fomenting for years, yearning to spring forth. For this, we sadly have no one else to blame even as Trump and the disinformation media joined hands to let these forces loose.