3 things just for info.
1. Entering the runway from the opposite direction - there is also a hole :o)
And folks say steeper than this one.
This one is actually quite gradual, at least, to an eye, stretched out.
That's why all doubted that flying in good weather on the 7th Capt. Protasiuk would even notice it , or think ab it as anything remarkable.
Northern description gives it as "in the region of Smolensk" (all journalists followed :o) - ain't true. Whole Smolensk in the blog protested. The aerodrome is right in the city.
Orography of Smolensk is quite troublesome. It's roughly located on top of a huge pre-historic elevation, on one sloping down side of this? kind of ancient wave/roller (in shape). When earth was moving plateau-s, millions years ago. So the city is on top of a slope, a wave. Then it is also cut through deep by ancient rivers and ravines, by river-beds, by river Dnieper flowing throughout it in the centre. It all consists of holes and deep cuts. Amelin said 70 metres cut a usual thing down-town.
To their river to swim they walk deep down.
This interesting design helps with fogs formation.
Plus fogs condense on city particles in the air, the aerodrome is in the city, once again.
Plus there was a spring flow-out of the Dnieper river in the time.
Which Amelin planned to take photos of, woke up at 8 looked out of the window - characterised this film hanging as "un-photo weather" - went back to sleep.
2. Wiki gives the unit operating ground control at Smolensk as "military".
Must be true, in spite of "common civillian-military use aerodrome".
Locals say civil aviation flights into Northern they don't remember of.
They definitely don't fly out of Northern anywhere.
The aerodrome is not used anymore by military either.
Who uses it at all is chancy special visits of var. officials. Russian church patriarch. Polish delegations. FSB planes like that IL that went around on the day (was to pick up security after events back into Moscow AND - most importantly - simply the? ladder? the? steps? specially delivered to Smolensk by this very IL, so that var. officials can kind of walk down instead of jumping out :o) Putin and Tusk and was planned for Kachinsky as well.
The aerodrome which doesn't have own ? steps? ladder? for big planes - hardly seems in "civillian use" to me.
The factory nearby though uses it for trying own airplanes.