I just finished the NYT article and it claims the move is because Russia doesn't have a 5G play, so they try to undermine everyone else's. I guess that might hold some credence.
Even if they did have a play, they'd be smart to sow disinformation and slow down or stop adoption of next-gen technologies, as those represent huge economic boons and advantages to the countries that adopt them first.
Similar to 4G, the first to 5G will create companies and startups taking advantage of the new infrastructure. As countries onboard onto 5G, these well placed companies will out compete any native companies. This is what happened with 4G in the US, and why US tech has dominated the space in the past decade.
Russia's goal is to weaken the West in any way it can.
