Kherson

Kherson is the administrative, industrial, and cultural centre of the region, a beautiful, and compact city, one of the greenest in the South of Ukraine. It hosts the only seaport on the Dnipro River, which is one of the largest in Ukraine. Kherson is located on the right, high bank of the Dnipro River, in the most picturesque part of the river, and at its delta, which is characterised by extraordinary beauty and uniqueness and is a place of recreation for Kherson residents and visitors of the city.

Kherson is located at the crossroads of highways and waterways. Rail, water, and road connections provide access to any corner of our and other countries. The total area of the city is over 6.5 thousand hectares. Kherson is 603 km away from the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv. Kherson’s extraordinary treasure is the forestry fund. The unique water and forestry funds contribute to the creation of environmental safety in the Southern region as a whole.

On 24 February 2022, an estimated 317 700 people lived in the territory of the Kherson City territorial community. More and more foreign countries are interested in the Kherson region. The industrial variety in Kherson has a great economic and intellectual potential for cooperation with other regions of Ukraine as well as establishing commercial relations with countries around the world. The main industries of the city are: machine building and metal processing, fuel, light, processing and food industries, glass production, and chemical industry. There are also agricultural enterprises specialising in livestock, crop production, and fish farming. Kherson is also famous for their watermelons and tomatoes.

The wealth of the city is not only its powerful economic complex, but also an extensive network of educational, cultural, sports, and health care institutions. Kherson is a city of youth, home to more than 100,000 citizens aged 14 to 30.

The annual International Theatre Festival “Melpomene of Tavria”, the aeronautics festival “Extravaganza in the Sky of Tavria”, festivals of national minorities, songs about Kherson and celebrations of national holidays and the City Day have become traditional for the city.The Kherson Children’s Public Organisation “Kite Association” is well known not only in Ukraine but also far beyond its borders. Kherson hosts the annual Kinokimeriya International Amateur Film Festival; the Rock to the Future International Rock Festival; the Friendship of Peoples City National Festival; the Terra Futura Contemporary Art Festival; the Oberig All-Ukrainian Festival of Military and Patriotic Songs; the Star Necklace All-Ukrainian Festival of Creativity and Talent, etc.

Since the beginning of the war, only a quarter of the city’s population remains. On 3 March 2022, Russia occupied the city and it was under Russian control for eight months until 11 November 2022. Now the front line runs four kilometres from the city and Kherson is subject to daily shelling. The agreement between Vaasa and Kherson is about sustainable development, education and research, culture and sports, and city administration and democracy. When there is peace in Ukraine and Kherson, the cities see great opportunities for companies in Vaasa to participate in the reconstruction work.