(a Ukrainian here) It's not about Western virtue signaling. I don't feel that this is directly offensive (others might disagree), but it's often intentionally

(a Ukrainian here) It's not about Western virtue signaling. I don't feel that this is directly offensive (others might disagree), but it's often intentionally used in this way. It's more in line with inclusive language: it's about removing small jarring bits that hark back to gruesome history we'd like to leave in the past. Hearing "the Ukraine" is a bit jarring, because it makes me wary of other historical stereotypes that the speaker might have.