 Territories where ethnic Ukrainians formed a large portion of the population (parts of Northern Bukovina and parts of Hotin, Akkerman, and Izmail) went to Ukraine, while a small strip of Transnistria east of the Dniester with a significant (49% of inhabitants) Moldovan population was joined to the MSSR.The transfer of Bessarabia's Black Sea and Danube frontage to Ukraine insured its control by a stable Soviet republic.This transfer, along with the division of Bessarabia, was also designed to discourage future Romanian claims and irredentism.