They’ve had total control to access to the International Space Station for 8 years since NASA retired the space shuttle. They’ve also received huge chunks of US cash to send people and supplies to the station.
What will happen when SpaceX means they will not longer get that money?
One of the big questions surrounding the first launch of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft was how the Russians would react. They have held considerable sway in the International Space Station partnership by controlling access to the orbiting laboratory since the 2011 retirement of NASA's Space Shuttle. So far, the Russian response has been one of throwing small bits of shade here and there but trying not to be too obvious about it.
Snip
Certainly this is not the kind of thing one expects to hear too often from Russia about its venerable space program, but this kind of criticism is not unique. Former cosmonaut Valery Ryumin recently said the leaders of Roscosmos are "blowing more smoke than doing anything substantive." And another space editor said the Russian space program was on the cusp of entering the Dark Ages.
At the end of his interview, Lukashevich raises a good question. Until now, Russia has largely either blamed others for its problems in space or overlooked them. Is Russia going to face up to its issues or continue to bluster and entirely squander its remarkable, six-decade legacy of pioneering spaceflight?
Much more @ Russia’s passive-aggressive reaction to SpaceX may mask a deeper truth
