Technically 'it's own country' but absolutely under the thumb of Russia in all terms.
This is not like the 'US and Canada' or Mexico, or some smaller S. American state where the US has obvious influence.
Belarus is the other example cited and they are 100% under the control of the Russians, it's the most anti-democratic place in the Western world, it's a straight dictatorship.
The article is essentially saying that Ukraine will become 'another Belarus'.
It's deeply chauvinistic because in the Russian worldview - the 'big powers' naturally control and oppress the small ones and for some reason they seem to believe that their totalitarian control of Belarus is somehow analogous to the US/Canada relationship or something like that.
It also absolutely and completely denies Ukranian agency, as though the Ukranians themselves have no say in the matter, it's not even worth mentioning.
There is definitely legitimacy to the notion of historical relationship between Ukranians and Russians, there's no doubt there, but those ties exist in other parts of the world.
The implication however that Ukraine should be subject to Russian rule makes this effectively a modern day Mein Kampf.