t-dub: My own experience in Moscow interviewing Russians for Leaving Earth taught me much about them. There are times you simply have to scream and shout at them to get them to take you seriously.

t-dub: It is implied, and something the Russians themselves stand by. In negotiations the Russians can be very difficult and sometimes ugly, but if you stand up to them and make a deal, they have consistently honored the deals, very precisely. (God forbid however you don’t make the language airtight, because they will use such gaps without mercy.)

In the case of ISS, their part of the partnership has always included providing transportation and lifeboat services. For their capsule to fail damages their national pride, and so they always act to fix the issue, as promptly as they can. Moreover, they care about their own astronauts. That lifeboat is also essential for them..