This had beed cleared up by Kulverstukas many posts ago. Those are not approach lights (I also mistook them for such) but floodlights for the emergency crew to be able to work through the night.
Why was the airport not formally closed, when clearly the criteria for continued safe operations were not met?
Criss
I have remarked several times on the difference between western and russian procedures. In the past ATC did have the right to close any airport if conditions were below minimum, and military ATC still has that authority. They did wave of an IL76 before 101 made the approach, because that aircraft was a russian military one, and they had full authority to refuse permission to land.