You will all notice how much the Russians are howling about this.
I would guess they were in it up to their eyes. They made a big mistake in underestimating this new administration.
I would argue that the Russian effort is not so great.
I cite the Russian presence in the UN as the message.
In response to a severe tongue lashing by US Ambassador Niki Haley, Russia presented the deputy Ambassador to respond. A severe response that mattered would have been delivered by the main man.
The howling in the UN was limited to the second string howlers