from the article I think its a little simpler than that, they just wanted to be able to copy or 'clone' the capabilities of the US. > The USSR wanted a clone w

from the article I think its a little simpler than that, they just wanted to be able to copy or 'clone' the capabilities of the US. > The USSR wanted a clone with the same ability: "The decision to build Buran was a response to the perceived military threat posed by the space shuttle. If the Americans hadn't developed the shuttle, the Russians wouldn't have developed Buran. To them it was just another part of the arms race," said Hendrickx.