Ukranian and Russian Relations

Video Transcript

I mean, they live together fine and nobody really wanted to move out and separate from Ukraine; it was just one part was more Russian and one was less Russian, but there were no clashes. I mean, ethnically, [they are] very similar people and [there are] lots of Russians living in Ukraine and lots of Ukrainians living in Russia. I try to stay away from this conversation but of course they happen in Russia and it happened to be that most of our friends are on the same page. Russians who live in Russia, they do not agree with what's going on, with whatever Putin was doing. I mean, those conversation[s] happened and they were very heated. These days you have to be really careful with Ukrainians, calling them Russians. People would get really upset. I mean, I have a friend and we're...she's from Ukraine but whenever this stuff...and I have...I mean, I myself support whatever was going with Russia and Ukraine, I don't support [the] Russian government, but she's so sensitive whenever I say anything about Russia, she's like, 'I'm not Russian, I'm Ukrainian.'

A Russian culture expert on the relationship between Ukrainians and Russians.