As for lighting in the Northern, nobody in the forum knows was it on or off during Kachinsky plane arrival.
This knows the Polish side, and MAK now, because whatever it was - the crew was briefed on that by the Russian aerodrome, before taking off from Warsaw. It is part of the procedure - they say - briefing the travelling side will there be lights on or off in the day time. As they briefed them about the weather - must be have briefed them about the lights by the runway expecting them.
Smolensk explained the system at Northern aerodrome is
day time - no lights
day time fog and other visibility problems - yes lights on
night time - lights on.
At that, they switch them on differently, and may be carry back and forward some, the difference is between "day time fog" mode and "night time".
At "day time fog" - the ones in front of the runway - are positioned like open gates, and are turned towards the aircraft approaching. They are like? positioned as open gates, at an angle, widening outside. To meet the plane, and light - towards the plane.
At night time the ones in front of the runway - are turned and positioned differently - no "gates" are formed, and no light turned towards the aircraft, but all are pointed at the runway, inside.
Along the runway they have something permanent, digged in forever, and what it is in immediate approach to the runway - these are various funny buckets perched on on some beton poles, chunks, digged into the ground.
As I understood they are also in different colour, green ones are solid, and the yellow ones the forum suspected like, look like improvised very much.
Anyway - whatever it was - colours at military aerodrome and the position - pointed inside or pointed outside or not switched on at all - Warsaw must have been briefed about, before the take off. It's part of the briefing procedure when such, basically, charter flights, one off, are organised.