>> if state X is actually doing evil, looming, and threatening things for decades on no end.
This sounds like a description of the United States to me...
Ah, the good ol "And you are lynching N-----s!" defense. Supremely topical for discussing Russia's dickery.
Whataboutism and deflection, the favorite tool of Kremlin apologists.
How does the US being shitty justify a Russian invasion of their sovereign neighbor?