>>>Ukrainians hate Russians. That sentiment goes way back.<<<
Bullcrap.
“Bullcrap.”
I guess you have to consider what part of modern Ukraine you are talking about. Historically, the inhabitants of the area west of the Dnieper River were fiercely independent, and had little use for the Russians to the east. That part of modern Ukraine that is east of the Dnieper River were and are more kindly disposed to the Russians. Remember, the Crimea, for instance, was not considered part of Ukraine, but rather was part of Russia. It was only recently that the Crimea became part of Ukraine.
Ukrainians west of the Dnieper predominantly speak Ukrainian; however, when you go east of the Dnieper River you’ll find a large number of Ukrainians who speak Russian.
Then, of course, Ukraine was absorbed into the Kingdom of Poland a few hundred years ago, and there was no love lost between the Poles and the Russians (or, for that matter, between the Ukrainian Cossacks and the Poles). But that is not really a topic for this discussion.