Kherson

This article is about the modern city. For the Greek colony, see Chersonesus. For other uses, see Kherson (disambiguation).

Kherson Херсон
City
Kherson Art Museum St. Catherine's Cathedral Kherson Public Library Kherson Yacht Club Shevchenko Park
Flag Coat of arms
Interactive map of Kherson
Kherson Location of Kherson Kherson Kherson (Ukraine) Kherson Kherson (Black Sea)
Coordinates: 46°38′33″N 32°37′30″E
Country	Ukraine
Oblast	Kherson Oblast
Raion	Kherson Raion
Hromada	Kherson urban hromada
Founded	18 June 1778
Government
• Head of the city Military Administration	Yaroslav Shanko
Area
• Total	135.7 km2 (52.4 sq mi)
Elevation	46.6 m (153 ft)
Population  (2025)
• Total	66,000
• Density	490/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Postal code	73000
Area code	+380 552
Primary airport	Kherson International Airport
Website	miskrada.kherson.ua

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Kherson (Ukrainian and Russian: Херсон, Ukrainian: [xerˈsɔn] ^ⓘ, Russian: [xʲɪrˈson]) is a port city in southern Ukraine that serves as the administrative centre of Kherson Oblast. Located by the Black Sea and on the Dnieper River, Kherson is the home to a major ship-building industry and is a regional economic centre. At the beginning of 2022, its population was estimated at 279,131.

The city was founded as a base for the Russian Empire's Black Sea Fleet on the site of a fortress previously established by Zaporozhian Cossacks. During the 19th and early 20th century Kherson served as the regional capital of eponymous governorate, becoming a major centre of trade and transport. Under the Soviet rule the city became a major scientific, cultural and industrial centre known for its shipbuilding industry. In modern Ukraine the city is also famous for its watermelons.

From March to November 2022, the city was occupied by Russian forces during their invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian forces recaptured the city on 11 November 2022. In June 2023, part of the city was flooded following the Russian destruction of the nearby Kakhovka Dam. Since liberation, Kherson has become a target of the human safari Russian terror campaign of deliberate drone targeting of civilians, killing about 200 people as of October 2025 per the UN report.