I think there's a misunderstanding on what constitutes a valid or ideal target for state sponsored (or "mercenary") attackers. Simply working at a research lab, industrial manufacturer, power station, tech company or knowing a certain professor can put you on a target list.
I’m just going to assume my research is so interesting that they sent the real badasses after me, somebody that Apple can’t catch. The truth is too ego-shattering.
Both of those people are working for a foreign government.
At least one of them does not know it.
Trust no one.
The generous argument is that it's only fair to the student that they should know quickly whether they'll be able to get through the material. Failing fast can be merciful.
The truth is probably more complicated. Let's just say that the student population ended up looking a lot like the TA and professor population. Lather, rinse, repeat.
The only thing I can think why I could possibly be targeted is that I mentioned on a few Youtube channels about the clearly obvious IDF troll armies spamming the comments of any YT news stories which highlighted the atrocities (as well as mentioning when the troll armies seemed to stop their operations dramatically last week when the World Kitchen aid workers were killed and the news exploded around it).
Lockdown mode now enabled.
Or, it could be an intentional misidentification - maybe OP has a friend who was picked up by whatever east european security services, and provided OPs name as some kind of co-conspirator in something OP's friend was into.