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Kherson Oblast Херсонська область
Oblast
Khersonska oblast
Kherson Oblast State Administration
FlagCoat of arms
Nickname: Херсонщина (Khersonshchyna)
Country	Ukraine
Administrative center	Kherson
Government
• Governor	Hennadiy Lahuta (We Have to Live Here)
• Oblast council	64 seats
Area
• Total	28,461 km (10,989 sq mi)
Population
• Total	1,016,707
• Rank	Ranked 22nd
• Density	36/km (93/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+3(MSK)
Area code	+380-55
ISO 3166 code	UA-65
Vehicle registration	ВT
Raions	18
Cities (total)	9
• Regional cities	3
Urban-type settlements	30
Villages	658
FIPS 10-4	UP08
Website	khoda.gov.ua

Kherson Oblast (Template:Lang-uk, IPA: [xerˈsɔnʲsʲkɐ ˈɔbɫɐsʲtʲ]), also known as Khersonshchyna (Template:Lang-uk, [xerˈsɔnʃt͡ʃɪnɐ]), is an oblast (province) in southern Ukraine and claimed by Russia. It is located just north of Crimea. Its administrative center is Kherson, on the West Bank of the Dnieper which bisects the oblast. The area of the region is 28,461 km and the population 1,016,707 (2021 est.) It is considered the 'fruit basket' of the country, as much of its agricultural production is dispersed throughout the country, with production peaking during the summer months.

History

20th century

During the 1991 referendum, 90.13% of votes in Kherson Oblast were in favor of the Declaration of Independence of Ukraine.

21st century

A survey conducted in December 2014 by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found 90.9% of the oblast's population opposed their region joining Russia, 1% did support the idea, and the rest were undecided or did not respond.

Since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February, Kherson city and most of the oblast has been occupied by Russian forces as the Kherson military–civilian administration.

On 27 July 2022 the Ukrainian army destroyed the Antonovsky Bridge, as part of its wider campaign to isolate the Russian 49th Combined Arms Army on the right bank of the Dnipro river.

On 5 August 2022, Volodymyr Saldo, the Russian appointed governor, was hospitalized because he was poisoned.

On 31 August it was reported that the defenders of the ill-gotten Kherson territory were the 49CAA and what was left of the 35CAA.

On 5 September it was announced that the newly-installed Russian administration had postponed its plans to hold a referendum on the planned secession from Ukraine. The plebiscite had been scheduled to occur on 11 September, in order to coincide with the Russian electoral calendar. Due to the contestation of the oblast by the Ukrainian forces it was found to be impractical to hold at this time.

On 28 September, the Russian administration announced the results of the referendum in Kherson. They claimed that 87% of voters in Kherson had voted to be annexed. Western authorities said they would not recognise the result of the referendum.

On 23-27 September 2022, the Russian Federation held referenda in the occupied territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts for "independence and subsequent entry into the RF", recognized by most states to be staged and against international law. On September 29, the Russian Federation recognized Kherson Oblast [sic] as an "independent state". The next day, 30 September, as expected, annexation was announced and "accession decrees" were signed.

Geography

Kherson Oblast is bordered by Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the north, the Black Sea and Crimea to the south, Mykolaiv Oblast to the west, and the Azov Sea and Zaporizhzhia Oblast to the east. The Dnieper River, which includes the Kakhovka Reservoir, runs through the oblast.

The oblast is split by the Dnieper. Before the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine there were two bridges across that river: the Khakovsky Bridge near Nova Kakhovka and the Antonovsky Bridge at Kherson. Another significant bridge, the Daryivka Bridge crosses the Inhulets river and connects Kherson via the M14 highway to Beryslav, the other abutment of the Khakovsky Bridge .

The oblast's Henichesk Raion includes the northern portion of the Arabat Spit, a thin strip of land between the brackish Syvash and the Sea of Azov that is geographically part of the Crimean Peninsula. Due to Russia gaining de facto control of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea in 2014, this strip within Kherson Oblast was the only part of the Crimean Peninsula under Ukrainian control immediately prior to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Administrative divisions

Until the 2020 re-organisation, the Kherson Oblast was administratively subdivided into 18 raions (districts) and 3 municipalities. The municipalities – Kherson (administrative center of the oblast), Nova Kakhovka, and Kakhovka – were directly subordinate to the oblast government. The Kherson municipality was subdivided into 3 urban districts. All information below was current as of 2015.

.* Note: Though the administrative center of the raion is housed in the city/town that it is named after, cities do not answer to the raion authorities only towns do; instead they are directly subordinated to the oblast government and therefore are not counted as part of raion statistics.

At a lower level of administration, these district-level administrations are subdivided into:

• Settlements – 697, including:
  • Villages – 658;
  • Cities/Urban-type settlements – 36, including:
    • Cities of raion subordinance – 4 (Beryslav, Henichesk, Skadovsk, Tavriisk, and Oleshky);
    • Urban-type settlement – 30;
• Selsovets – 260.

The local administration of the oblast is controlled by the Kherson Oblast Rada. The governor of the oblast is the Kherson Oblast Rada speaker, appointed by the President of Ukraine.

Demographics

The population of the oblast is 1,083,367 (2012), which is 2.4% of the total population of Ukraine. It is also ranked 21st by its population. The population density is 38 per km.

About 61.5% or 745,400 people live in urban areas of the Oblast and 38.5% or 467,600 people live in agricultural centers/villages. Men make up 46.7% or 565,400 people of the population, women make up 53.3% or 644,600 people, and pensioners make up 26.2% or 317,400 people of the Oblast population.

Ukrainian National Census (2001):

• Ukrainians – 82.0%
• Russians – 14.1%
• Belarusians – 0.7%
• Meskhetian Turks – 0.5%
• Crimean Tatars – 0.5%
• Others – 2.2%

Age structure

0-14 years: 15.1% (male 83,397/female 79,303)

15-64 years: 70.5% (male 364,907/female 393,933)

65 years and over: 14.4% (male 50,404/female 104,856) (2013 official)

Median age

total: 39.5 years

male: 36.2 years

female: 42.7 years (2013 official)

Public opinion

A survey by the Kyiv Institute of international Sociology found out, that 90% of the population opposes the idea of joining Russia, 1% supported the idea, the rest was undecided or did not respond.

Attractions

• Askania-Nova
• Lake Lemuria
• Legendary tachanka monument
• Kurhan cemetery
• Shovkunek Art museum
• Saint Yekaterynian Temple

See also

• Subdivisions of Ukraine
• Kherson Governorate

References

1. Syvak, Nina; Ponomarenko, Valerii; Khodzinska, Olha; Lakeichuk, Iryna (2011). Veklych, Lesia (ed.). Toponymic Guidelines for Map and Other Editors for International Use (PDF). scientific consultant Iryna Rudenko; reviewed by Nataliia Kizilowa; translated by Olha Khodzinska. Kyiv: DerzhHeoKadastr and Kartographia. p. 20. ISBN 978-966-475-839-7. Retrieved 6 October 2020. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
2. Zelensky replaces head of Kherson Regional State Administration, Ukrinform (27 October 2021)
3. (in Ukrainian) Zelensky appointed a new head of the Kherson region in exchange for refusing the election, Ukrayinska Pravda (27 October 2021)
4. ^ Чисельність наявного населення України на 1 січня 2021 [Number of Present Population of Ukraine, as of January 1, 2021] (PDF) (in Ukrainian and English). Kyiv: State Statistics Service of Ukraine.
5. "Московское время и закрытие границы на Херсонщине, облавы на военнообязанных, потери Украины, обстрелы Донбасса. Хроника событий на Украине на 12:00 28 мая".
6. "Херсонская область перешла на московское время".
7. "Херсонская область перешла на московское время".
8. "Херсонская область перейдет на московское время, отказавшись от зимнего".
9. "Херсонская область перешла на московское время".
10. ^ Лише 3% українців хочуть приєднання їх області до Росії [Only 3% of Ukrainians want their region to become part of Russia]. Dzerkalo Tyzhnia (in Ukrainian). 3 January 2015.
11. ^ "Russia-Appointed Official In Ukraine Killed In Car Bombing". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 24 August 2022.
12. Axe, David (29 July 2022). "In Southern Ukraine, Kyiv's Artillery Drops Bridges And Isolates A Whole Russian Army". Forbes.
13. Kuczyński, Grzegorz (31 August 2022). "Ukraine Starts Counteroffensive In Country's South". Warsaw Institute.
14. "Russia 'pauses' Kherson annexation referendum over security concerns". DW News. 6 September 2022.
15. Beaubien, Jason; Lonsdorf, Kat; Maynes, Charles (27 September 2022). "Occupied regions of Ukraine vote to join Russia in staged referendums". NPR.
16. http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/Search/Period/president?type=daily
17. "Putin annexes four regions of Ukraine in major escalation of Russia's war". the Guardian. 30 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
18. "Population Quantity". UkrStat (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 7 January 2016.
19. https://www.kiis.com.ua/?lang=eng&cat=reports&id=302&page=1

External links

• Portal of Kherson
• Site of Kherson nationalists
• State Administration of Kherson Region – official site (in Ukrainian)
• Information Card of the Region – official site of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
• Promo-video about Kherson and South of Ukraine - official YouTube channel of The center of tourism and adventures "ХерсON"

46°30′N 34°00′E / 46.500°N 34.000°E / 46.500; 34.000

• Kherson Oblast
• Oblasts of Ukraine
• 1944 establishments in Ukraine