The city of Kherson, on the west bank of the Dnieper River, seems likely to be the next focal point of the Ukraine war.
It’s worth thinking about its name and the history behind it. The name is derived from the Greek chersonesos, peninsula, literally dry land-island. In the sixth century before our era a Greek colony was founded not far from modern Sevastopol in the Crimea. The settlement lasted for almost two thousand years, then was almost forgotten.
But it was not forgotten by Catherine the Great of Russia who in June 1778 gave the name to a city she was founding on the west bank of the Dnieper River. Although the new city was about 150 miles away from the ancient Greek colony, it seemed an appropriate name to Catherine. She knew her Greek history!
The new city was a commercial, shipping and ship building center, but its name points to another reason for its importance. It controls access to Crimea. If you want to dominate Crimea, you need Kherson. Its name shows that Catherine’s strategic objectives included Crimea.
Wars usually have tangible goals - , territory, natural resources and industrial ones, and human capital to exploit them. All these are in play as Ukraine and Russia battle it out for Kherson. But don’t forget symbolic capital, especially when a Vladimir Putin is involved. He wants to restore the grandeur Russia enjoyed under Catherine the Great, Peter the Great and his namesake the sainted Vladimir. He will not lightly relinquish Kherson. The Ukrainians, I believe, know all that full well and will do what they can to take that city away from Russia.
It’s too powerful a symbol to let slip away.
It’s worth thinking about its name and the history behind it. The name is derived from the Greek chersonesos, peninsula, literally dry land-island. In the sixth century before our era a Greek colony was founded not far from modern Sevastopol in the Crimea. The settlement lasted for almost two thousand years, then was almost forgotten.
But it was not forgotten by Catherine the Great of Russia who in June 1778 gave the name to a city she was founding on the west bank of the Dnieper River. Although the new city was about 150 miles away from the ancient Greek colony, it seemed an appropriate name to Catherine. She knew her Greek history!
The new city was a commercial, shipping and ship building center, but its name points to another reason for its importance. It controls access to Crimea. If you want to dominate Crimea, you need Kherson. Its name shows that Catherine’s strategic objectives included Crimea.
Wars usually have tangible goals - , territory, natural resources and industrial ones, and human capital to exploit them. All these are in play as Ukraine and Russia battle it out for Kherson. But don’t forget symbolic capital, especially when a Vladimir Putin is involved. He wants to restore the grandeur Russia enjoyed under Catherine the Great, Peter the Great and his namesake the sainted Vladimir. He will not lightly relinquish Kherson. The Ukrainians, I believe, know all that full well and will do what they can to take that city away from Russia.
It’s too powerful a symbol to let slip away.