  We analyze the Vavilov-Cherenkov radiation (VCR) in a dispersive
nontransparent dielectric air-like medium both below and above the Cherenkov
threshold, in the framework of classical electrodynamics. It is shown that the
transition to the subthreshold energies leads to the destruction of
electromagnetic shock waves and to the sharp reduction of the frequency domain
where VCR is emitted. The fine wake-like structure of the Vavilov-Cherenkov
radiation survives and manifests the existence of the subthreshold radiation in
the domain of anomalous dispersion. These domains can approximately be defined
by the two phenomenological parameters of the medium, namely, the effective
frequency of oscillators and the damping describing an interaction with the
other degrees of freedom.
