Some clarifications
To clarify the confusion with the alleged four attempts at approach, this is merely a terminological blunder by the journalist who interviewed someone at the airport. The phrase as it first appeared in the press was something like "they crashed after the fourth approach". Anyone familiar with the Russian terminology would instantly recognize the error: in Russian (and a few other languages, possibly in Polish as well) the final turn in an aerodrome circuit is called the fourth turn. So, the interviewee merely said they crashed on final.
And yes, this aerodrome has neither ILS nor VOR, just two NDBs, PAR and RSBN (a Russian system similar to TACAN). The usual minimums for PAR approach in Russia are 100 m (330') decision height, 1000 to 1800 m visibility (sorry, don't have the exact data for Smolensk). Actual RVR at the time of the crash was about 500 m.
grebllaw123d, judging by the available information, they were monitored by PAR but it wasn't a proper GCA. This is, however, a mere conjecture. The typical Russian procedure for a non-precision approach is for the pilot to report passing FAP, LOM and LMM, stating the altitude. This is probably what the ATCO referred to when saying the crew stopped reporting the altitude.