With the arguable exception of Voskhod 1, I would disagree.
I've talked to people from the ex-Soviet program who confirm it. I've read statements by others from the ex-Soviet program who confirm it. I've read authors who attribute Khrushchev's deposing in part to his continued (not momentary) recklessness in managing the country's space program.
There seems to be little question these days that the early Soviet space program was merely an exercise in firstmanship.
The soviet space program was precisely that, a program of many parts and the the achievements that led to perceived (emphasis on perceived, as opposed to actual) technological superiority...
Is that not the definition of a stunt in this context? An exercise designed to convey the illusion of greater capability than was actually possible? The consensus among space historians, including Russian ones, is that the early Soviet space program was specifically designed to fool the world.
...larger programs of space science, miltitary and and economic applications.
Programs that did not materialize until Brezhnev took over. There were coherent plans early on, but Khrushchev routinely co-opted them for political purposes leading to a sabotage of the infrastructure the Soviets wanted to build.
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