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Thewatermelon is a symbol of the region ofKherson Oblast,Ukraine. More than 50% of the watermelons in Ukraine are produced in Kherson Oblast and are shipped upriver toKyiv.
Watermelons were thought to have been introduced byCrimean Tatars – a Turkic ethnic group and an indigenous peoples ofCrimea – before the 18th century. DuringWorld War II, residents of the Kherson region would make molasses or jam from boiled-down watermelons, when there were restrictions on sugar usage. Prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022, a yearly tradition was televised, with a barge, full of watermelons, leaving Kherson for Kyiv along theDnieper river.[1]
During theRussian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequentRussian occupation, farmers in the region, who usually produced watermelons, were unable to do so. The watermelon became a symbol of Kherson.[2][3][4][5] At the Ukrainian stand atCOP27, a watermelon was displayed with a Ukrainian flag.[6] Thepresident of Ukraine,Volodymyr Zelenskyy, joked upon arriving innewly liberated Kherson in November 2022 that he travelled there because he "wanted a watermelon".[1][7]Ukrposhta, the Ukrainian national postal services company, released watermelon-themed stamps commemorating theliberation of Kherson.[8]
