Exactly. A fact that is only important to Texan's and Oklahomans. I don't expect to go over to the other side of the world and there still to be a distinction between the two. They are both Americans.
If they come from Russia, or one of those slavic nations around it, as far as I am concerned, as well as the rest of America, they are RUSSIAN.
Unfortunately, other countries do pay attention to ethnicities - a trait that is unfortunately cropping up here in the USA.
Ya well, that trait come's here to die. The blood in your veins, the color of your skin, the color of your hair, none of it matters. It's all about where you grew up.
Unfortunately you're applying American philosophy to foreign states. If you call a Russian a Ukrainian, he'll pop you in the nose and vice versa. The same reaction a Texan would have if I called him an Okie. However, both are Americans. As far as this case is concerned: Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Russia, etc., are ALL Sovereign Nations. The Soviet Union, thanks to Ronald Reagan, ceased to exist Dec 91.