First of all - CONGRATS!
As to the maneuverability of a hot air balloon (or a Roziere, as in this case). Many years ago I had the great pleasure to do several flights in hot air balloons with one of the best balloon pilots of the time, an Austrian guy named Starkbaum. You would be amazed, how much the course of a balloon can be influenced by a skilled pilot! And I have no doubt, that Mr. Konyukhov is just that. Well done, great achievement.
PS: agree WRT the non-reporting. If this had been Steve Fossett (RIP), it would have been all over the news. Then again, there was a surfeit of very bad news over the last couple of weeks, might have contributed to drowning out this one.