I can't imagine a worse way to go than being trapped in a tiny aluminum tube that falls 40,000 feet and being conscious all the way down.
Here's a nice article that seemed to have a lot more thought behind it than the usual breathless media reports.
Russia Confirms Jet Broke Up in Mid-Air; Did 2001 Accident Doom It? - The Daily Beast
When I first saw the article the headline was "Did 14 Old Accident Doom Plane?". I read too quickly and thought the headline was "Did a 14 Year Old's Accident Doom Plane?". I clicked on it to see how in the world a 14 year old boy's accident (I assumed it would have to be a boy) could have caused a jet airplane crash.
Anyway, this airplane was in a tail-down landing accident 14 years ago. If the damage wasn't perfectly repaired and continuously re-inspected, it could have broken up in the air like that. It makes more intuitive sense than an ISIS strike or aliens, or whatever.
I will not fly Aeroflot or most third world carriers. I won't go if I can't fly on a plane that has European or US safety standards. I just won't. I've flown domestically in China but only on their international carrier that conforms to US safety standards.