Re the Russian SOP w.r.t. TCAS: I recall from some discussion groups a few years back that there had been a dispute on the flightdeck of the Tu-154 between the captain, PF and the check captain, acting as the PNF. The check captain allegedly overrode captain's decision to heed the TCAS and insisted to descend as instructed by ATCO, exactly in line with the Tu-154 manual. Also as far as I remember, the main SSR was u/s and a backup unit was being used (not sure if that meant the processor-screen or a complete radar-feed).
Found the report,
here,
in German, it states three systemic causes: the TCAS issue compounded by failure to standartize (in the end, who will pressure Russia) requirements and harmonize units, and the other two are down to the Skyguide management. I hope the name of P. Nielsen comes clear out of this trial too.