Kherson
Background
Kherson is a port city in southern Ukraine and the administrative centre of Kherson Oblast. It lies on the Dnieper River near the Black Sea, giving it a position that has long linked inland river transport with maritime access. At the beginning of 2022, its population was estimated at 279,131. The city is also associated with a major shipbuilding industry and functions as a regional economic centre.
The city has significance in Ukrainian, Russian, and broader international affairs because of its location, transport infrastructure, and role as an administrative centre. Its port and river connections make it important for trade and logistics, while its shipbuilding sector has been part of its economic profile since the Soviet period. In recent reporting, Russian state institutions have treated Kherson as part of the set of annexed Ukrainian territories, including by extending banking services there through PSB Bank branches.
Kherson was founded as a base for the Russian Empire’s Black Sea Fleet on the site of an earlier fortress established by Zaporozhian Cossacks. During the 19th and early 20th centuries it served as the regional capital of the Kherson Governorate and developed as a centre of trade and transport. Under Soviet rule it became a major scientific, cultural, and industrial centre, and in modern Ukraine it is also known for its agricultural produce, especially watermelons. The city was occupied by Russian forces from March to November 2022 during the invasion of Ukraine, recaptured by Ukrainian forces on 11 November 2022, and was later affected by flooding in June 2023 after the destruction of the nearby Kakhovka Dam.
Timeline
Residents of Kherson were included among the categories of citizens eligible for expanded free legal aid when seeking refugee status or Russian citizenship.
Access to Free Legal Aid Expanded for Certain Categories of CitizensPSB Bank had 463 branches across Russia’s four annexed Ukrainian territories, including Kherson.
Meeting of Mikhail Mishustin with the Chairman of PSB Bank PJSC Pyotr FradkovPSB Bank’s branch network in the annexed Ukrainian territories covered more than half of the banking sector’s credit portfolio there, including in Kherson.
Meeting of Mikhail Mishustin with the Chairman of PSB Bank PJSC Pyotr Fradkov
Documents
Access to Free Legal Aid Expanded for Certain Categories of Citizens
Russia's State Duma passed amendments expanding free legal aid to persons from annexed Ukrainian territories seeking refugee status or Russian citizenship.
Meeting of Mikhail Mishustin with the Chairman of PSB Bank PJSC Pyotr Fradkov
Mishustin met with PSB Bank chief Fradkov, who reported 9 trillion rubles in assets for 2025 and 463 branches across Russia's four annexed Ukrainian territories, covering over 50% of the banking sector's credit portfolio there.