My Ukrainian contractor and his wife were finishing up building my new bathroom the other day, and I got to hang out and chat with them for about 3 hours.
She (Valentina) was clearly Ukrainian, in look and accent.
He sounds like he was from New Jersey. (In fact, I didn't know he was Ukrainian until I asked how the two of them met, and they said "in Ukraine!" And I asked Nick, "Oh! How long were you over there?" He laughed and - in his New Jersey accent - told me he was born there.)
The Russian vs Ukrainian language divide can be hilarious. I have watched Ukrainians and Russians speak back and forth. The Ukrainian understands the Russian perfectly, but the Russian can't really understand the Ukrainian. It's bizarre.
The only thing I can equate it to for my American friends is the difference between an American speaking to someone from Glasgow, or maybe the Australian Outback. The Aussie/Glaswegian understands the American perfectly, but the American gets lost easily, while still being able to understand some of words...