I searched "ukraine etymology" - looks like the word was used in 1187 to mean a part of RUSSIAN territory; and it means 'borderland' or 'outland', meaning that of RUSSIA.
In Russian, "krai" = edge, border, or sparsely populated frontier region. Ukraine has historically been the Russian hinterland...but so far away from Moscow, they developed their own language - about 60% in common with Russian.
Ukraine was one of many nations created after WWI.
I searched "ukraine etymology" - looks like the word was used in 1187 to mean a part of RUSSIAN territory; and it means 'borderland' or 'outland', meaning that of RUSSIA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_of_Ukraine
In Russian, "krai" = edge, border, or sparsely populated frontier region. Ukraine has historically been the Russian hinterland...but so far away from Moscow, they developed their own language - about 60% in common with Russian.
And in 1922 it became part of the USSR. Its current existence as a sovereign country really only started in 1989 when the USSR dissolved.