Alice, also your good work did not provide an answer to those questions either. We heard how it should have been, but no explanation why it was like that. The controller is complaining, that the crew did not read the altitude to him. But he didnīt ask the crew at least once.
I believe I can answer that. According to the ATC, the Polish crews flying there did not know Russian procedures and he repeatedly complained about it to his superiors.
About 1hr before that Tu-154, another plane (Yak-40) flown by the same Polish unit pilots carrying journalists landed there completely ignoring his procedures/commands, including command to goaround. He did not like it, complained about it, but his superiors decided that making a fuss over it would be seen as political provocation for reasons I already explained.
The Yak pilots are now being investigated over their violations, although it does not seem to be a thing reported in the west too much:
http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/Wiadomosci/1,80273,7984775,Wieza__Jak_40_ladowal_bez_zgody__Piloci__Tup olewe.html?skad=rss
Google translator works (somewhat) to show issues involved.
Meaning, the whole mess is far more about being a really, really stupid political dog-and-pony show than it is about aviation procedures. Both ATC and the pilots were mere puppets in that game and this is the main problem.
I mean, I still hope that he wasn't pissed off enough to watch them fly into the ravine while giving them "on path" confirmations. I do not think that's what happened at all whence I try to explore other possibilities.