Other European Frequent Flyer Programs - Transfer at Sheremetyevo

I am tempted by some very good one-way fares on SU on a MAD-SVO-HKG routing, but I have no personal experience with SVO, and I have heard and read a number of horror stories in the past.

Can any of you tell me, as a SkyTeam Elite Plus passenger, but traveling in coach, what the transfer experience and lounge situation would be like there? It would appear that the Madrid flight would arrive into terminal E and the Hong Kong flight depart from terminal F (which I gather is the depressing Soviet-era facility). Not having a visa for Russia, I certainly don't see how some of the horror stories I have heard (for example, needing to take a taxi between terminals at extreme cost) could apply since we couldn't exit the secure area.

And, do SU gate agents at SVO tend to be extreme in enforcing carry-on rules? (I always have to carry professional equipment which pushes the official limits a bit, but with most carriers it is not an issue, especially as an elite). And do they actually make and enforce priority boarding calls for elites, at both European stations and SVO? Or is it a free-for-all experience?

No priority boarding at SVO (unless that has changed recently) - I've even seen a Business Class pax get rejected after waving his boarding pass at the gate agent. Don't expect any special recognition either. I haven't seen them actually walking down the queue for boarding to inspect carry-on items.

If you encounter IRROP (misconnect), they'll probably put you up in the no visa 'secured' part of the Novotel Airport Hotel - not exactly a pleasant experience (visa-less area is a huge contrast to the general area of the hotel) from what I read here on FT.