Description

Kherson – City of Heroes

This medal celebrates unconquered Kherson and heroic Kherson oblast, which is washed by two seas, and through which run land routes to occupied Crimea. Kherson oblast, which has a long history, is the land of Cossack glory and a cradle of shipbuilding. Kherson oblast was occupied by the enemy from the first days of the full-scale invasion, with Kherson being the only regional center that the russian invaders managed to capture from 24 February 2022. Kherson oblast became one of the centers of the partisan resistance movement. Despite the danger and aggression, city and oblast residents resolutely attended rallies and launched a public resistance movement. The city, which was occupied for 256 days, was liberated by Ukraine’s Armed Forces and came again under the Ukrainian flag.

Obverse: above is the legend 2022/УКРАЇНА (2022/Ukraine); beneath is Ukraine’s small coat of arms; in the center is a stylized map of the city; against the backdrop of the map are the following lines from Lina Kostenko’s historical novel “Berestechko”: НЕ ДОПУСКАЙ ТАКОЇ МИСЛІ,/ЩО БОГ ПОКАЖЕ НАМ НЕЛАСКУ./ЖИТТЯ ЛЮДСЬКОГО СТРОКИ СТИСЛІ./НЕМАЄ ЧАСУ НА ПОРАЗКУ./ЛІНА КОСТЕНКО (REFUSE TO THINK/ THAT GOD WILL SHOW US NO FAVOR./HUMAN LIFE IS SHORT./THERE IS NO TIME FOR A DEFEAT./LINA KOSTENKO; to the left are port cranes; to the right is Stanislav–Adzhyhol Lighthouse – a historical and cultural monument; there are also images of dolphins and seagulls; to the left, above the cranes is the mint mark of the NBU’s Banknote Printing and Minting Works.

Reverse: against a smooth background is the legend ХЕРСОН/МІСТО ГЕРОЇВ (Kherson/City of Heroes), which divides the medal into two halves; in the upper half, against a smooth background, is a composition symbolizing people’s resistance to russian occupation and the warm reception given to Ukrainian soldiers after the liberation; the lower half depicts a stylized view of the city as seen in perspective; it shows the city’s historical buildings, Antonov Bridge, a sculpture from Kherson Park of Glory; a monument to the first ships made in the city, and so on.