TCAS RA directions always override ATC instructions!
BEagle... Rightly or wrongly, I interpret your post as putting the blame on the Russian Flt Crew
Can you confirm you are basing that allegation on definite knowledge that at the time, the Russian Company SOPs, authority legislation, equipment and Training were of a similar status to that on which you base your statement?
Without having investigated the accident in great depth, but to some degree, then it seems there were ATC "system" failings that enabled that system to fail. That TCAS then failed as well was unfortunate, but it was a relatively "immature" system, particularly for say some former "Eastern Block" nations/operators, and "rules" to which you and I operate, especially today, might not have applied then, to that crew...
