DISINFO: Ukraine should not join NATO because Ukrainians and Russians are one nation
SUMMARY
Membership of Ukraine in NATO is the red line for Russia. Russia should not allow Ukraine to become a member of the Alliance because Ukrainians and Russians are one nation. Membership of Ukraine in NATO will create conditions for civil war. The US is especially interested in it.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about the all-Russian nation and the Russian world/civilisation. In this case, the narrative is used in the context of Ukraine's possible NATO membership.
Ukraine is a well-defined nation-state with a long history and its own literature and identity, despite foreign rule for long periods of time. Ukrainians and Russians belong to the Slavs ethnolinguistic group but they are not a single nation.
Membership in NATO will not create conditions for war between Ukraine and Russia. NATO is a defensive alliance and its purpose is to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means. Ukraine is a sovereign state, free to decide its political orientation incl. on international organisations and military alliances. Its relationship with NATO dates back to 1991.
Pro-Kremlin outlets often recur to the claims that Ukrainians and Russians (as well as Belarusians) are one nation. See similar cases here, here and here.