1954 transfer of Crimea Nikita Khrushchev was very fond of Ukraine, so I think to some degree it was also a personal gesture toward his favorite republic. He was ethnically Russian, but he really felt great affinity with Ukraine." Sergei Khrushchev, Khrushchev's son, claimed that the decision was due to the building of a hydro-electric dam on the Dnieper River and the consequent desire for all the administration to be under one body. Sevastopol in Crimea being the site of the Soviet Black Sea Fleet, a quintessential element of Russian and then of Soviet foreign policy, the transfer had the intended effect of binding
I Did What I Did for Maria I Did What I Did for Maria "I Did What I Did for Maria" is a song recorded by English singer Tony Christie. It was written and produced by Mitch Murray and Peter Callander, who were also responsible for Christie's "Las Vegas" and "Avenues and Alleyways". The song is about a widower who, on the eve of his execution, recalls how he remorselessly avenged his dead wife, hence the title. It was a number 2 UK hit in June 1971, and was also a hit in Ireland, where it also reached number 2. The track later appeared on Christie's compilation