The Russians! The Russians! The Russians!
Am I the only one who is getting tired of bad things getting blamed on "The Russians" or "The Chinese" (or whoever is the enemy-du-jour) based on zero evidence whatsoever?
It's always the opinion of some bureaucrat or politician which then gets picked up and tossed around the echo chamber until, before the day is out, it's treated as axiom.
Sure, it MIGHT be the Russians, but until someone steps forward with some actual EVIDENCE, why not proceed with caution and skepticism, considering all the actors who could benefit from such a thing and investigating them too.
First on my list would be the NSA or CIA. They have the means, a motive and certainly the opportunity. Means and opportunity need no explanation, but what's their motive?
They, along with their "defense" establishment buddies, have a dread of anything resembling peace breaking out. Which is why, over the years, they have meddled in foreign governments, overthrowing those whose election they don't approve and, most of all, lying, lying, lying (see Iraq and Syria for two recent examples) about whatever it takes to sustain their narrative of Us (the good guys) vs. Them (the bad guys) and how we need ever more spying and death hardware to keep us safe from them.
Until someone shows up with some convincing evidence to the contrary, they're going to have the top spot in my list of Usual Suspects.