Irrespective of whether one carries out an approach using QFE or QNH, both references are generated by the same BAROMETRIC instrument - the Altimeter, of which there should be three available to the crew (assuming it is an aircraft equipped for RVSM)..
If you look at the cockpit pictures, you will see, that PIC himself has 4 altitude/height indictators. There is one RA (in m), there is one standard barometric altimeter (below RA). Left to it, there is an electronic barometric altimeter (ft, m, mmHg, kPa - whatever you want) and right to it there is another altitude indicator which I don't know. My guess, it was part of the upgrade and is used to input QNH to the FMS system (so, another barometric?). If someone could help identify it? QFE setting for approach/landing and QNH for FMS.
It's just the beginning of the list
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Regarding the quotation above, am I to understand that despite a recent avionics upgrade, the aircraft had no means of alerting the crew when a specific BAROMETRIC height (QFE) or altitude (QNH) was reached during the descent? Are you therefore stating that the only means of alerting the crew to DA or DH was by means of on a pre-set Rad Alt indication and alarm?
As we already know, TAWS generated no less than 20 aural warnings, but Smolensk airbase is not in the database, so no TCF. We don't know, what kind of information was feeded to the system (FMS / TAWS), how it was connected to the original Russian avionics, and how the crew was trained to use it.
Arrakis