Vladimir Putin, Russia's president-elect, is known to want to restore the country's space prowess. "Russia should not limit itself to the role of an international space ferryman," Putin said recently, a reference to its business of hauling American astronauts to and from the International Space Station during the lull between America's space shuttle and whatever human flight option comes next.
Russia, back in the days when it was the biggest part of the Soviet Union, knows about space programs. It launched the first satellite and the first man to orbit the Earth, Yuri Gargarin, in 1961. But America landed men on the moon first in 1969 to win a space race with the Soviets that dominated the 1960s.
A new Russian lunar launch program would certainly be of interest to the world's scientists and engineers. Besides the direct benefits of exploring the moon, a lunar landing would reap numerous side benefits including technology development and international prestige. Russia has sent numerous probe to the moon.