Still, the amount of effort that controller took, phoning up and low, trying to prove fog is for real, somebody who has the authority - phone that plane on board! tell them to not even go here! it is truly remarkable - and is not part of controller's duties, as I understand. And no one seemed to believe him, as there was an excellent forecast, visibility digressed from 4,000 metres to 200 - within 1 hr! the way someone they called said "but the Polish Yak has landed you say? meaning - What do you mean here that you can't land them?
The way the controllers phoned up and low to find a spare airport for the plane, to be able to tell them, if/when they come over. Not part of controller's duty either, one would think. The spare airports are stated in the pilot's flight charts, from the very beginning.
But it seems the controller had an inner feeling, that it's better he knows himself and definitely - as, for example, the pilot voiced out to him later "Minsk and Vitebsk". Of which one DID NOT WORK on that day - at all!
Vitebsk is only Monday-Friday, due to low demand. And that was a Saturday!
As Russian blog says Defence marshals are not the same as they used to be before ;o) Smaller calibre, to take responsibility on themselves when it is needed. "If it were Zhukov :o) of the war times - he wouldn't hesitate a sec to say his NO - and nevermind what any aviation civil or whatever rules or politicians say!" :;o)))))))