I think they are bringing it back for military use.
Military use in inland waterways? Cause the water has to be sooth and then, unoccupied. Sea Monster versus commuter ferry. Sea Monster versus trawler. Sea Monster versus row boat/jet ski. So they want to cover long flat unoccupied bodies of water...hmmmm....
I do believe that this “somewhat” limited aircraft wannabe is an ideal mass troop carrier for any high speed invasion.
How many Russian troops in just one aircraft? a thousand, or more?
I can imagine 6 of these aircraft all wave skimming to make a beach head landing.
I personally think its a very admirable Russian design that is overlooked by western over-tech thinking.