You can dress this up any way you like, but this is a catastrophe for Russian civil aviation. As a previous poster has alluded to the Sukhoi was made in Russia but filled with numerous western systems. It was a genuine and credible attempt to break into the Airbus/Boeing/Embraer world, but it has, alas, fallen at the first hurdle. Most western airlines would be extremely wary of associating themselves with Russian designs, due to their perceived association with lower levels of technology and an 'accident culture'. Trouble has followed Russian-built aircraft and their associated airlines since aviation began due to all sorts of unpalatable reasons - but principally the operating culture they have found themselves in. Whether it is this crash or the Polish presidential debacle, the same basic issues always jump up - and are always shoved down again in a West versus East entrenched debate.
It is clearly not true to say that every Western pilot, engineer, legislator, supervisory body, airline owner, airport operator etc is better at their job than their Eastern European colleagues. What is true to say, however, is that a frightening cultural mix of complacency, accepted deviation from SOPs and established practice, corruption, poor maintenance, financial pressure to compete regardless of the shortcuts taken, distorted cockpit gradients and poor training repeatedly come together to bring disaster in that part of the world. Until someone in the East is willing to humbly recognise the truth of this and accept that, for all the West's faults (which are numerous), Western aviation is many years ahead in all these areas and consequently has a vastly superior safety record, this situation will never change.
I have no doubt the Captain of this aircraft was a very capable guy and probably a way better pilot than I am. Nonetheless, he lost sight of the fact this his number one job was not to kill everyone on board and that everything else had to be distant seconds and thirds. How could this happen to a guy of that talent and capability? Culture, culture and culture. It was somehow acceptable for him to not research correctly the terrain and weather issues on this potentially dangerous flight. It was somehow acceptable for him to request a flight below MSA in IMC. These are harsh words but the truth hurts. How will this ever change? Someone very high up in Russia, which still has massive influence over aviation in many parts of the world beyond its own borders, needs to say enough is enough. A root and branch assessment of every aspect of Russian thinking and practice needs to take place which results in fundamental changes to the way business is done in aviation. Will that ever happen in my lifetime? Probably not, but unless it does there will be numerous more accidents like this with the same old wrangling - but with absolutely nothing done to change the inevitable. Safety is not an accident - it is planned.