Ukrainian is East Slavic (like Russian) with large influences from Polish and some from Byelorussian. It’s still mutually intelligible with Russian, but for Polish and Ruthenian loanwords.
polish and ruthenian loanwords?? old slavonic is rite??
please...learn your history. this isn’t that difficult.
Ukrainian is different from Russian. Ukrainians do not consider themselves Russian.
Ukraine is a nation that has a >1000 year history in the region. Russia does not.