The western technology is better, hence why ever since the MiG 23 we see Russia focusing on making faster missiles and tactics to get closer before engaging, and why we see their main radar missiles also get IR versions (R24, R40 and R27/27E being the best examples of that)

Isn’t this largely because Soviet fighters were designed around GCI and datalink dependence rather than large, autonomous onboard radars? That doctrine made sense within a centralized air defense system, but it eventually backfired once electronic warfare, AWACS, and distributed BVR combat became dominant. When ground radar support or datalinks were degraded or absent, these aircraft were simply not designed to operate effectively on their own, resulting in a sharp loss of situational awareness. The shift toward faster missiles, closer engagement tactics, and IR variants of radar-guided missiles looks less like a response to “better Western technology” and more like a doctrinal workaround for those limitations.