On 30 September 2022, Russia claimed to annex Kherson Oblast, along with the Donetsk (Donetsk People's Republic), Luhansk (Luhansk People's Republic) and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, but the referendums and subsequent claimed annexations are internationally unrecognized.

Medieval towns of greatest importance were the former Byzantine, Kyivan Rus' and Genoese trading port of Oleshia[6] and former Lithuanian customs point and Polish and Turkish fortress of Tawan/Kazikermen, now Beryslav.

[8] In 1917–1920 the territory at various times passed between the Ukrainians, Bolsheviks and White Russians, decisively becoming part Soviet Ukraine in 1920.

[10] A survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology in December 2014 found that 90.9% of the oblast's population opposed their region joining Russia, 1% supported the idea, and the rest were undecided or did not respond.

The plebiscite had been scheduled to occur on 11 September, in order to coincide with the Russian electoral calendar.

Due to the contestation of the oblast by the Ukrainian forces, it was found to be impractical to hold at this time.

[citation needed] On 29 September, the Russian Federation recognized Kherson Oblast as an independent state.

[16] On 30 September, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced the annexation of the Kherson Oblast and three other Ukrainian territories, and signed "accession decrees" that are widely considered to be illegal.

[18] The United Nations General Assembly subsequently passed a resolution calling on countries not to recognise what it described as an "attempted illegal annexation" and demanded that Russia "immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw".

[19] On 9 November 2022, the city of Kherson and a remaining pocket of land on the right bank of the Dnieper were recaptured by Ukrainian forces.

The oblast's Henichesk Raion includes the northern portion of the Arabat Spit, a thin strip of land between the brackish Syvash and the Sea of Azov that is geographically part of the Crimean Peninsula.