Could someone with Tu-154 experience comment on how easy it is to move flaps lever all the way up and how difficult it is for the pilot in the LHS to reach the gear handle, пожалуйста?
The Flaps lever has a clip release on both sides, you need to press two bars in to move it at all. The Gear lever is ok to reach, a bit of a stretch from the LH seat, easy from the RH seat. It is conventional pull out and move, but also has a safety which needs releasing. Easy once you have the practice.
The very idea that the flaps were moved instead of the gear is quite unlikely. The gear goes up the moment positive rate is verified, so very early. Flaps retraction is later than 70 secs from brake release or even from lift off. In order to be safe, you need at least 400 km/h for clean config, something they never got close to.
The one pic shown earlier here does indeed suggest the flaps were up at impact, but apparently so was the gear (judging by another pic). So assuming for a moment that this CVR leak is true, it looks to me as if they completed gear retraction on schedule and then all of a sudden someone noted something they did not expect was happening to the flaps. In this situation, if the flaps retract prematurely, it would be very difficult to impossible to recover the plane, no height to give up to get the speed.
I am really curious to see the final results of that FDR and CVR, also it would be very interesting to see in what position the flaps lever was found if it was found at all.
Re Take off config warning, it is quite complex. I can't remember all of it, but a LOT of stuff has to be set correctly before the red light in front of the pilots goes out. Flaps, Slats and spoilers are certainly part of it.