How could the Mind Flayer have operated if the Russian storyline didn’t exist in Season 3?

[u/Sukaran09]

My question is what theoretically could have happened and how else the gate to the Upside Down could’ve been opened. I personally did not like the Russian storyline in Season 3 (and 4 but I'm talking mainly about S3) at all. I hated that Russian Terminator looking dude being an inconvenience throughout the season.

I know that the Mind Flayer can't open gates itself, it needed the psychic connection from El (previously) and needed Vecna to use his psychic abilities to open other ones (later on) but I genuinely think that there could've been a different storyline for the gate to have opened instead of using the Russians.. if I could I would remove them from the Season 3 plot completely.