Russia had a Space Shuttle?

I came across this article this week during lunch.  I had no idea that Russia had a space shuttle program.  Check it out:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7738489.stm

It looks a good deal like ours, but supposedly was much better.  In the end the shuttles are not a great platform to get things in the space.  Russia has always had us beat in the heavy lifting department. 

My favorite part of the article:

“*Years after a sceptical Pentagon had given up on the shuttle, even as a delivery truck for spy satellites, the Russian officials continued whispering to journalists that the US orbiter had a secret capability - to make an undetected “dive” into the Earth’s atmosphere and suddenly glide over Moscow dropping nuclear bombs. *

Never mind that such a scenario was not supported by physics or by common sense.”