The name Henichesk is derived from a Turkic root for "narrow" referring to a thin strip of Azov Sea nearby.

During this process, an 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.

"[12] The city was also the scene of the death of Vitalii Skakun, who died blowing up a bridge in an attempt to stop the Russian advance.

[13][better source needed][14][15][16] On 18 April, Russian forces restored the monument of Lenin, which had been removed by the Ukrainian government as part of the country's decommunization process.

[19] 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.