The Crimean center had not been used since the Soyuz 12 flight.
Following testing on Progress flights, the same rendezvous profile was introduced for manned Soyuz flights in 2013 to reduce crew fatigue.
The previous three Soyuz flights were also dock attempts but all had failed for various reasons.
Some of the early Soyuz flights carried Yastreb space suits but these were only for space walks and were only worn in orbit.
Gennadi Mikhailovich Manakov is a former cosmonaut who commanded two Soyuz flights.
As much, I think, as on any of our previous Soyuz flights.
Gagarin was backup pilot for Vladimir Komarov in the Soyuz 1 flight.
I would buy 5 Soyuz flights to ISS, one per year, for 5 years.
Later, he was grounded for medical reasons before the Soyuz 11 flight, which killed the crew when the capsule was accidentally depressurised by a faulty valve.
Soyuz flight schedules increase after 2013, allowing 5 Soyuz flights (15 seats) with only two expeditions (12 seats) required.