Are Ukrainians Russians?

[Sarmatian]

There is no single homogenous ethnicity of 'Ukrainians'. Population of modern Ukraine is made of Ruthenians living West of Dnieper and Little Russians living mostly East of Dnieper with some Western territories populated by them too. The central Ukraine is mixed heavily and its hard to draw an exact border line.

The name Ukraine is derived from Slavic root 'Kray' meaning 'border, edge'. 'Okraina' means 'near border' which should be obvious to any Slavic speaking person.

Considering the term Little Russians as derogatory is plain retarded. It was started by Byzantine historians as they wanted to distinguish different parts of lands populated by same people of Rus. So they called bigger part of it Great Rus and smaller part Minor Rus (exactly as they did with Asia Minor). Russians adopted such classification (most likely via Orthodox Church connection) and later expanded it by allocating White Rus.

[Siegfried]

According to Ukrainians I've met, they can understand Polish better than Russian. Maybe in certain areas Ukrainian is more similar to Polish, but I'm not an expert on the topic to say.

[Whiskey7]

Imo Western Ukrainians are a different breed to the "standard Ukrainian". Western Ukrainian and Ukrainian aren't the same people.

In the same way that Ukrainians and Russians (living in what is today the State of Ukraine) aren't the same people.

So who do you think western ukrainians most closely resemble? My western and central ukrainian relatives look like the same sort of people to me.

[johnD]

They are russians. Stop western propaganda !

[Foxy]

Saying that they are an other race sounds excessive, but a different nation yes.

[igo112]

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[Tan R Mubarak]

As a person who grew up in Ukraine I can say that ukrainians and russians r different nations. Just like all slavs they share similarities. The reason they ( ukr)know russian is USSR . Actually ,for ukrainian, very easy to understand the rest of slavic speaking nations( is russian lang-e slavic?).
By the way for native speakers Krajine meaning: "homeland" or "region, country" like
- Where do u live?
-U Krajini
Culture,language,tradirions very diff from russian( which is full of diff tribes )

[Ivan Kramskoï]

East Ukraine is Russia.
Sources : my grand mother propaganda ^^

[igo112]

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[ЛыSSый]

As a person, who lives in hohlostan (yeah, ukraine) i can say: we are just russian subetnicity. Yes, we have some differences from russians, but they are much less that differences between any others similar nations in europe. Except the some western regions of my country - there lives descendants of polish genetical experiments of creation the population of ideal slaves.