38 years after the tragedy: Schwerin commemorates the lost school class

38 years after the tragedy: Schwerin commemorates the lost school class

Schwerin, Deutschland - On December 12, 2024, the tragedy of the Aeroflot flight 892 marks the 38th time. In this devastating crash, 72 people lost their lives, including 20 students from the Ernst-Schneller secondary school from Schwerin, who were on the way back from a final trip to Minsk. The aircraft that got into a dense fog was originally forced to a detour flight to Prague. After a short weather improvement, there was a serious understanding of communication between the Soviet crew and German air traffic control during the approach to Berlin-Schönefeld Airport. The Tupolew Tu-134a steered the wrong runway and plunged into a forest near Berlin-Bohnsdorf.

inadequate education and grief

The reaction of the GDR authorities to the crash was characterized by non-transparency. Many relatives were put under pressure and were not allowed to talk about the incident so as not to damage the reputation of the Soviet Union. State security (Stasi) monitored the mourners. The public only received limited information, as the extent of the disaster, as Schwerin.news . Since then, the crash in Schwerin has been a memorial that emphasizes the loss of young life and the shortcomings of political structures.

In Schwerin, the victim of the tragedy is commemorated by various initiatives. A memorial stone in the forest cemetery, the documentary "System failure" and an upcoming book project "Grief under control" by journalist Matthias Baerens should keep the memory and tragedy alive. The book, which the events and their consequences are published at the end of 2024 and calls to reflect on the events, such as Polmem-mv.de The preservation of the memory of the victims remains an urgent call to deal with historical responsibility.