This is more of an indication that the USSR had a functional public education system, and the dictatorship style, top down style education is indeed good at hammering (STEM based) academic skills into young brains. Arguably, most other non third world countries are doing a better job at the public school system than the US
Because the former Soviet Union, with all its defects, never gave much of a shit about gender roles, you are going to learn science even if it takes your whole life. I guess some of that cultured stayed after Ussr collapsed
Read Alexandra Kollontai, the liberation of women from household oppression was something they actually did give a shit about and was intentional.
They very much cared about gender roles, but also pretty early figured out that women in the workforce are economically beneficial. So the situation was (and unfortunately is) that women are shamed if they don't earn money OR don't look good OR don't cook/clean/care about children. I am honestly fascinated how average woman manages these three shifts. In academia btw there's still a huge gender bias even when women make the majority of students and generally perform better.