> Something I learned recently is that calling it "the Ukraine" rather than "Ukraine" is apparently using the Russian term for the country Russian doesn't have

> Something I learned recently is that calling it "the Ukraine" rather than "Ukraine" is apparently using the Russian term for the country Russian doesn't have articles: there is no the in Russian. The phrasing the Ukraine like the Netherlands has been used in English for well over a century. It's usually seen in cases where the name has a literal meaning in the original source language. Some like the Punjab have become archaic but some like the Deccan remain in use. However, it's just good form to respect the official Ukranian preference and avoid the the.