There was a lot wrong with Soviet decision making regarding technology. Rejecting microelectronics and computer science in 1950s is a great example of that.
I am not sure about Sr-71 equivalent and related bomber programs. Spacecraft are outright more practical for Sr-71 kind of missions.
I think now, they certainly are. But back in the Sixties and Seventies, they weren’t.
When you needed an asset over an area for surveillance...you were dependent on the timing and orbits of satellites. Only the very high end satellites had any maneuver capability that could have been considered for non-emergent use.
Of course today, it is different. Satellite coverage is nearly ubiquitous today, so that likely explains why we retired ours.