Henichesk (, ; ) is a port city along the Sea of Azov in the Kherson Oblast of southern Ukraine. It serves as the administrative centre of Henichesk Raion. Since 9 November 2022, it serves as the temporary centre of the Russian occupation administration in Russian occupied Kherson Oblast. Henichesk hosts the administration of the Henichesk urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. In 2021, Henichesk had a population of . As of November 2022, the city is under Russian occupation as part of the Russian occupation of Kherson Oblast. In November 2022, the Ukrainian southern counteroffensive successfully expelled Russian forces from the city of Kherson. As such, the Russian forces moved their temporary administrative centre to Henichesk, although they still claim Kherson as the official capital in exile. History Henichesk was founded as a fort by the Russian Empire in 1784 and from 1812 was also known as Ust-Ozivske. It was a port and a trade center on the salt route that went from Crimea north to Ukraine and Russia. At the turn of the 20th century, it was the location of one of the largest flour mills in southern Ukraine. During World War II, the town was occupied by Germany. The Germans operated a Nazi prison in the town. 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, Henichesk was seized by the Russian army in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. During the Russian capture, a famous incident occurred where an old woman confronted Russian soldiers and said "Put sunflower seeds in your pockets so they grow on Ukraine soil when you die." The city was also the scene of the death of Vitalii Skakun, who died blowing up a bridge to stop the Russian advance. On 18 April, Russian occupiers restored the monument of Lenin, which had been removed by the Ukrainian government as part of the country's decommunization process. On 3 June, Volodymyr Zelenskyy decreed the creation of a military administration for the city. On 9 November, separatist leader and deputy head of the military–civilian administration of Russian-occupied Kherson, Kirill Stremousov, died in a crash near Henichesk. Climate Under the Köppen climate classification, Henichesk has a humid continental climate that closely borders on a semi-arid climate with cold winters and warm summers. Notable people Yosyp Abramovych Daits (1897–1954), Ukrainian artist Iuliia Mendel, Ukrainian journalist Gallery See also List of cities in Ukraine References External links