Because they’re not actually pro-Communist, they’re anti-West. At least, that’s their primary and most important alignment. They might also be communist, but that always comes second to hating on the west.

Because they’re devoted campists and will support literally anything that opposes the USA

Maybe tankies aren’t who they say they are. Could anyone lie on the internet 🤔

it makes sense if you consider that the USSR was just the Russian Empire 2.0