In light of the current Russia-Ukraine/US conflict, here is an interesting article: How Crimea Became Part Of Russia And Why It Was Gifted To Ukraine -- GreatGameIndia
'The Soviet leadership was highly critical of the fact that the assistance was only being provided to one ethnic group [Jews] in such a multiethnic region and country. The Crimean Tatar population resented the allocation of funds to create exclusively Jewish regions (Freidorf and Larindorf) on lands that they [Tatars] had previously owned.'
First Hitler 'cleansed Crimea of its Jews,' then the Soviet Union 'cleansed' it of its Tatars.
'Nikita Khrushchev, an ethnic Ukrainian and head of the Communist Party of Ukraine, came up with the idea to give the peninsula to Ukraine. According to the memoirs of one of Khrushchev's staff members, in 1944, he noted: 'I was in Moscow and said: 'Ukraine is in ruin, and everyone is pulling out of it. But if you give it Crimea...'' Khrushchev's proposal was not accepted at the time. He had to wait until he became the head of the Soviet Union before he could transfer Crimea to Ukraine, which was one of his first acts as premier.'