I think you over generalize. I have, or more properly my wife has two sister's in law, married to her only two brothers, who are native Russian speakers. One is ethnic Russian, but lived Odessa, which is in the Ukraine. The other lived in Kirghstan, but is mostly Ukrainian, and looks it. The Russian is as you describe. The Ukrainian is not. She's one of the nicer people you'd ever meet. She can also field strip and reassemble an AK-47, blind folded, a little trick she learned in DOSAAF, back when Biskek was "Frunze" and part of the Soviet Union. She now shoots handguns and has her own bolt action .270.
Funny you mention that. I knew a smart Russian guy but he knew it. Very nice wife toobut the husband was very smart and boorish. He knew it all. Stubborn like a mule.
I knew a PhD from Ukraine and he was very smart but also a real gentleman.
Field strip an AK? Anyone know how many pieces? Probably not that many but still very good blind folded.