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Kherson (Херсо́н, ) is a city in Kherson Oblast, Ukraine. Located in the historical region of Yedisan, it lies on the west bank of the Dnieper River, about 25 km from the river's mouth, and occupies 135.7 km2 of area. The population was estimated prior to the Russian invasion at 279,131 in January 2022.

Kherson is the home of a major ship-building industry, including the Kherson Shipyard, ports both for the sea and the river, a significant transport hub for the railway, and a regional economic centre.

The city of Kherson began at the Fort Saint Alexander in 1774, during the reign of Catherine the Great. Four years later, it was formally established by decree. It served as the administrative centre of the Imperial Russian Kherson Governorate, which existed until 1917. During the 19th century, it had grown steadily from the shipping and shipbuilding industries, and the first Russian naval base and shipyard on the Black Sea were located in this city.

Due to the invasion, Kherson was the only regional capital which was captured by Russia on 1 March 2022. In August, Ukraine launched an counter-offensive to retake the city. Kherson is the one of many cities which was awarded as the Hero City of Ukraine. In the aftermath of the Russian retreat on 9 November, Ukrainian forces had begun to enter Kherson on 11 November.

Names
The name of Kherson (British English:  or  ; American English:  ; ; Ukrainian: ; Russian: ) was a name from the Russian Greek Plan, in which cities were named after Ancient Greek colonies, settlements, or individuals. Kherson was named after the Heraclea Pontic colony of Chersonesus, (Χερσόνησος ) which was located on the Crimean Peninsula.

Subdivisions
The city of Kherson is consisting of three raions (districts).