13 June 2026
(PHOTO: Intent/Natalia Dovbysh)
Journalists from the Kherson-based publication "Most" organized the "Kherson Puzanok" festival for the second time for Kherson residents temporarily living in Odessa and for Odessa residents, during which visitors could enjoy fish considered a Kherson specialty.
According to an Intenta correspondent, 80 kilograms of puzanok were used to prepare various dishes during this year’s festival.
Also during the festival, as was the case last year, funds were raised to support Ukraine’s defenders; specifically, as reported by “Most” editor Serhiy Nikitenko, 32,500 hryvnias were collected to meet the needs of the “Buzky Gard” volunteer unit of the Security Service of Ukraine. Last year, 26,500 hryvnias were raised.
The Azov shad (Alosa tanaica) is a small fish (up to 20 centimeters long, weighing up to 60 grams) from the herring family that enters the Dnipro River to spawn in the spring, when the water warms to 15 degrees Celsius. In the Dnipro, the Azov shad spawns until early June. And it is this fish that serves as Kherson’s unofficial symbol.
Like last year, the festival was held on the grounds of the Odesa Film Studio, and for security reasons, visitors were admitted only after prior registration. The event has no political overtones and is funded partly by the media’s own resources and partly by donations.
The Dnipro is not the only river where the puzanka goes to spawn; it is also found in other rivers outside Ukraine, but the cult of the puzanka is a distinctly Ukrainian, Kherson phenomenon. For locals, the Dnieper roach run in Kherson is comparable in significance to the herring fishing season on the Danube in the Odessa region—the so-called “Danube herring.”
Theonline media outlet MOST is an independentpublication from the Kherson region that has been operating in the region since 2012. Since 2014, it has been the region’s primary watchdog publication, and since 2022, it has been the most popular media outlet in the Kherson region.
Starting in 2025, the editorial teamdecided to hold in-person events for Kherson residentsliving in compact communities outside the region. In this way, the journalists decided to support their fellow residents and expand their circle of loyal readers and community members.
Кирило Бойко