Play with the equipment I get, play with them on the target frequencies? I don't get that, and that is the part that makes me skeptical. It is kind of like peace time and war time modes. For the types of signals you are talking about, and pretty much anything that emits other than standard comms (and even a little bit there), you have modes you show the enemy all the time and modes you don't show the enemy. And various reasons, depending on what the ability is, for not showing those abilities. One of those reasons is telling the enemy you are getting ready.
Peace time modes are the modes (frequencies, techniques, power levels, diversity capability, antenna capability, etc) that you use all the time, for testing, alignment, training, etc. During normal testing and training you break out these modes, they typically test the system to some specific high level and they allow operator training, all without starting a war, giving the enemy (who absolutely is watching you and analyzing your actions) too much information, or tipping the enemies hand that you might be ramping up for some action.
Wartime modes are modes you break out when things go hot. Frequency, power, antenna modes, technique, etc, these are capabilities that you have not shown the enemy you can do. On some Russian systems some of these capabilities are activated by switches that are physically under a wired cover, so that you have to really intend to use them, and other people know, after the fact, if you have done so.
Obviously, hitting active potential enemy frequencies is not giving away too much information on technical capability. Assuming this was / is some kind of comm jam equipment a profile / assessment of that specific equipment probably exist, including probable or known frequency range. So the technical capability to hit these freqs would not be revealing. However, actually hitting potential target freqs, when this is not your normal habit, is revealing.
I guess the basics of what I am saying is, you don't typically train, or test, actually hitting your real enemy targets. And if you uncharacteristically start doing so in preparation for planned upcoming actions you alert the enemy that the punch is coming.
Not saying that your reasoning is impossible, only that I find it less likely than someone is just playing with the system.
By the way, tonight (Tuesday night local time, Wednesday morning, 08 April, UTC) the signal was up again, and back on 9024 kHz. It ran from 0300 to 0603 UTC. I did have a chance to grab a remote receiver in Kharbarovsk, Russia, and the signal was 10 over S9 there with little QSB. This matches well with the more repeating TDOA plots I managed to grab Monday when the system was on.
T!