Ukraine was a key part of the Soviet Union from the beginning, stop pretending it wasn't.
But for the Soviet Union, Ukraine as we know it today wouldn't even exist.
Most Ukrainians are simply Russians with accents, there are no significant cultural differences...and this notion that you can separate one from the other historically is complete nonsense.
“...Most Ukrainians are simply Russians with accents, there are no significant cultural differences...and this notion that you can separate one from the other historically is complete nonsense....”
The above is a complete set of falsehoods. The Americans of 1776 were English speakers who had traditionally been ruled by England. I suppose you would think it crazy for them to attempt to separate. Today, the Spirit of ‘76 shines in Ukraine. Ukraine’s rich culture and language goes back centuries. Even in the eastern areas where Russian is spoken, proud people from the Donbas like my wife’s family are patriotic Ukrainians. In those areas the Ukrainian language survives in the smaller agricultural villages. My wife’s grandmother spoke an intergradient between Russian and Ukrainian. Years of Stalin’s genocide and Putin’s genocide could not erase Ukrainians from those rich Black soil areas. Putin covets those rich areas. His invasion is evil and all that talk of “ethnic Russians” is a smokescreen. Russian speakers do not equal ethnic Russians. It is the Russians who attempt to replace Ukrainians.
Death to the invaders! Glory to Ukraine!
