Translation of bits of posts from the accident thread on a Russian pilots’ forum that seem to make sense:
Regarding GA:
...Even if there was GPS onboard, it is known for grossly erroneous readings over Russian territory. GLONASS, Russian analogue of GPS, has not yet been deployed.
I'm not a professional pilot, but if this is what Russian pilots think, then it's no wonder there are so many accidents there. This statement is definitely untrue. I confirmed this with GPS experts (major maker of GPS receivers).
There are currently 31 active GPS satellites, enough to ensure constant coverage everywhere. In fact, the chief of the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos), Anatoly Perminov,
was recently quoted as saying that in 2010, "...the GLONASS accuracy parameters will approach the accuracy of the GPS system." Apparently, achieving current GPS accuracy (over Russia, I assume) is a future goal of the GLONASS project.
Think about it. GPS was originally developed and deployed by the U.S. military. Does anyone really think there would be problems with accuracy over Russia, of all places?