If Russia is England, is Ukraine Ireland? (Or Scotland? Or Wales?)

The story of a plucky nation taking on its much bigger neighbour has a certain Celtic appeal

A former imperial power, once controlling a huge chunk of the world’s landmass, sends troops across to its neighbour for the sake of — Dr Evil air quotes — ‘peace-keeping’. Serving the needs of a sympathetic minority of the population, who side with the larger country and speak the same ancestral language — and many of whom descend from settlers during …