It isn't ironic at all. It is like asking "Why does the ACLU support freedom of speech of people who strongly oppose the ACLU?" It really isn't defending freedom of speech if we only defend the freedom of speech we like, is it?
It's no more or less ironic than Navalny the documentary being produced by CNN films.
If you're a dissident rival foreign powers will give you a platform which you won't get domestically.
Plenty of Russians think Navalny was a traitor because he made western documentaries. It's good to know you agree with them that releasing dissident material with a hostile foreign power means he is automatically a traitor I guess.
I wouldn't say that that is a position I agreed with though. I would say the principled stance is that dissidents should use the options available to them to avoid being silenced - hostile power or no.
We can't all be principled though, can we?
For a person in his position - he must’ve been very naive to have a show on ruzzia today.