I'd venture a guess at least partially explaining it - Russia has been importing/cargo-culting German style of education, science, government, law, military, etc. for several centuries. Before 1917 like a half of the top of the Russian government and society was German. Lenin for example was half-German. The modern Russian language has developed during the last about 300 years, and the most closest/easiest non-Slavic European language for Russians is German. That all didn't make Russians into Germans, far for it, yet it lets Russians understand and mimicry the German style when needed (at least much easily than say French, English or Italian. Also kind of not surprising that the USSR was helping the revolution in Germany, and later the first 2 mega-totalitarian regimes happened to be Germany and USSR, and they were allies the first 2 years of WWII fighting together against democratic countries of Europe).
And of course USSR had Eastern Germany for 40+ years - enough to develop deep networks and poison the minds.
> most closest/easiest non-Slavic European language for Russians is German.
Speaking as a Russian, I find this assertion very questionable. Lithuanian and Latvian are far closer to East Slavic languages, for one thing. But even among West European languages, Spanish is easier IMO.
In general, Russia borrowed a lot of science and engineering stuff from Germany, and definitely the military, but when it comes to governance - no, not really.
Russia runs German law system, it is just the results are so different that one has hard time to believe that it is the same system. The same with governance - German modeled, just again with very different results.
The Spanish is good contender, agree, though, German I think closer and historically provided more influence - there were no noticeable Spanish speaking, Spanish literature nor philosophy in Russia, while German speakers, German literature and philosophy were massively present.
The political system in Russia is closer to France if anything. But that's all on paper - the reality for both the justice system and the political one is obviously quite different and not in any sense German.
If we're talking about cultural influence, I'd also say that France had a lot more influence in that regard, especially literature-wise. French was a de facto standard "educated class" language for close to two centuries, with quite a few of the nobility learning it as their first language.
But, again, culturally Russia is by and large its own thing. The way I'd describe it is a European-style facade covering some unholy merger of Byzantium (the way it was understood in Muscovy, not necessarily how it actually was) and the Golden Horde. The latter part goes all the way back to the Grand Duchy of Moscow; the former, mostly to Peter the Great.
And of course USSR had Eastern Germany for 40+ years - enough to develop deep networks and poison the minds.