People seemingly love blaming others for their problems so they can avoid saying "well, maybe we’re the problem. This is called “unifying the nation against an external enemy” and it shouldn’t work this well, but it does. Russia was picked out as a target because it allows 2-in-1: unify the country against an external enemy, to present oneself as the “strong protector of home” and also distract from internal problems, but also attack the East at the same time.
People seemingly love blaming others for their problems so they can avoid saying "well, maybe we’re the problem. This is called “unifying the nation against an external enemy” and it shouldn’t work this well, but it does. Russia was picked out as a target because it allows 2-in-1: unify the country against an external enemy, to present oneself as the “strong protector of home” and also distract from internal problems, but also attack the East at the same time.