Many senior managers will try to balance the desire for profits against wondering what public reaction will be.
Emirates currently fly to Moscow, so one could argue that Wizz is leaving money on the table by not flying from Abu Dhabi. Equally, Wizz is a European company, not Emirati. There are arguments both in favour and against Wizz flying Abu Dhabi - Russia, depending on your perspective.
It's remarkably common for corporations, unsure of the public reaction, to announce something will happen on a small scale, and see what happens in the press... and make sure they have some suitable excuse for withdrawing their plans if need be.