From what I know both Russia and Ukraine are countries of great contrasts. I've heard that Russian people take their education very seriously and they also have a reputation for being very disciplined (specially when it comes to sports). I think that in both countries there can be problems of social unrest and also problems with drugs, alcohol and violence but there's also such problems in western european countries. I wouldn't label Russia or Ukraine as inhospitable or uneducated but they do have a reputation for being hostile places unlike Western Europe. Hopefully one day I will travel to Russia and Ukraine and learn about their culture firsthand.