Just for historical argument, you are not exactly right...
First, Ukraine (or what was then Ukraine) established what later becomes Russia.
"Kievan Rus' was founded by the Rus' people, who came from Scandinavia across Ladoga and settled in Kiev around 880 AD. Kievan Rus' included the central, western and northern part of modern Ukraine, Belarus, far eastern strip of Poland and the western part of present-day Russia. According to the Primary Chronicle the Rus' elite initially consisted of Varangians from Scandinavia.[35]
During the 10th and 11th centuries, it became the largest and most powerful state in Europe.[36] It laid the foundation for the national identity of Ukrainians and Russians.[37] Kiev, the capital of modern Ukraine, became the most important city of the Rus'."
Then Mongols wipe all this out, followed by several centuries of shit hitting fans and territory jostled between every neighbor. In 1710 it manages to have a break and actually writes unique and first of its kind democratic constitution (
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consti...of_Pylyp_Orlyk), fights along with Russia to claim Crimea and the south (see Treaty of Pereyaslav), gets called "New Russia" after winning, never gets any freedoms and the autonomy they were entitled to by this treaty. Say "fuck it" and live on, get to highest Russian state and church offices while Russification laws are passed, suppressing the use of the Ukrainian language in print and in public. Then it becomes the battleground for just about every war till the end of WW2 (and now it is again).
It was called "Little Russia" by Moscow and then Soviet historians, which I guess was done to belittle the country while it makes plenty of sense since that's where the bigger Russia stemmed from. The fact Ukies chose the name Ukraine instead of literally any other name (Ukraine means "the Outskirts") is actually the most depressing fact of them all.
(The stuff above is all wikipedia, so quoting source)