I think it's important to be mindful that the astro-turfing described here is not just picking up a random crowd of credulous or especially vulnerable people. There are numerous other political opportunists involved, and a good number of the people who turn to these events are the same people who turn out to other highly political demonstrations organized within the 'patriot' movement. It's not a random sample of the population.
Russia certainly exploits political movements like these for strategic purposes (as all international powers exploit the political divisions of their rivals), but the involvement of state actors, organizational sponsors, and grifters does not render the visible political conflict moot, which is wishful thinking on the part of centrists and technocrats.
Russia certainly exploits political movements like these for strategic purposes (as all international powers exploit the political divisions of their rivals), but the involvement of state actors, organizational sponsors, and grifters does not render the visible political conflict moot, which is wishful thinking on the part of centrists and technocrats.