Soviet military technology, whilst behind the west, was considerably more advanced than what trickled down to the consumer (mostly because consumer expectations were kept low; the USSR only started manufacturing toilet paper in the mid-1970s, for one, and so wasn’t about to launch its own ecosystem of 8-bit home computers).
I also think you may be misunderstanding the technologies that were available to Soviet citizens. I highly recommend you check out the book How Not to Network a Nation.
Soviet military technology, whilst behind the west, was considerably more advanced than what trickled down to the consumer (mostly because consumer expectations were kept low; the USSR only started manufacturing toilet paper in the mid-1970s, for one, and so wasn’t about to launch its own ecosystem of 8-bit home computers).
You are right… They started with a 16-bit machine.
Though given that they cost 4 months’ wages, they were a consumer product only in theory
I also think you may be misunderstanding the technologies that were available to Soviet citizens. I highly recommend you check out the book How Not to Network a Nation.