Not uncommon at all. Linguistically and culturally, they’re very similar. Historically, they are very different.
Ukrainians were first dominated by the Poles, then by Russia, both of whom oppressed them, and Jews were restricted from living in Russia. The Pale of Settlement was in Ukraine. The object was to let the peasantry, whenever they had a beef with the Czar, take it out on the Jooos!, whose talents were useful to the nobility, which automatically made them a target of resentment to the serfs.
“Rabbi, rabbi, is there a proper blessing for the Tsar?”
“Yes, my son! May God bless and keep the Tsar… far away from us!”