Lighthouses of Occupied Ukraine: West Kherson

Ukraine (officially Україна, Ukraina) is a large country on the north side of the Black Sea, bordering Russia to the east. Except for a brief period of independence during the Russian Revolution (1917-20) Ukraine was part of Russian or Soviet empires from the mid seventeenth century until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Meanwhile the coastline of the Black Sea was mostly under the control of the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire until it was taken by Russia during a series of wars in the second half of the 1700s.

The Black Sea's northern coast is in several sections. In the west is the Bight of Odessa, named for Ukraine's largest port. In the center is the diamond-shaped peninsula of Crimea. To the east is the Sea of Azov, connected to the rest of the Black Sea by the narrow Kerch Strait at the eastern end of Crimea.

In March 2014 Russia invaded and annexed Crimea, separating the Ukrainian coast into two sections: one on the Bight of Odessa in the west and one on the the northwestern side of the Sea of Azov in the east. In February 2022 Russian troops invaded eastern Ukraine, beginning a war that continues to the present. Since the end of 2022 Russia has occupied about 20% of Ukraine but a much larger percentage, more thn 80%, of Ukraine's coastline. Russia controls all of Crimea and the Azov Sea coast as well as the western Kherson region south of the Dnipro (Dnieper) River.

This page includes lighthouses of the southwestern section of Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast, northwest of Crimea and south of the Dnipro River. Under Ukrainian law this region is defined as one of the "temporarily occupied territories." Russia has established a government in Kherson Oblast and admitted it as a "federal subject" (that is, member) of the Russian Federation.

Lighthouses in war zones are typically inactive, their lights extinguished for the duration of the war. The descriptions on this page rely on pre-war (Ukrainian) information. Information on possible damage to lighthouses is not available.

The Ukrainian word for a lighthouse is mayak (маяк); ostriv (острів) is an island, mys (мис) is a cape, richka (річка) is a river, and havan' (гавань) is a harbor.

Lighthouses in non-occupied Ukraine are maintained by Derzhhidrohrafiyu (Держгідрографія), the hydrography and navigation service of the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Russian lighthouses are maintained by the Russian Navy's Office of Navigation and Oceanography.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. UA numbers are the Ukrainian light list numbers as reported by Ukrainian Lighthouses on the Air. Admiralty numbers are from volume N of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 113. The Ukrainian light list, Вогні і знаки Чорного та Азовського морів (Lights and Signs of the Black and Azov Seas), is not available online.

General Sources
Lighthouses in Ukraine
The ARLHS Ukraine listing; photos contributed by Ukrainian amateur radio operators are available for many of the lighthouses.
Lighthouses in Ukraine
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
World of Lighthouses - Ukraine
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Online List of Lights - Ukraine - Black Sea
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
Russische Leuchttürme auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse. Ukrainian lighthouses are near the bottom of the page.
Lighthouses of Ukraine
Historic postcard images posted by Michel Forand.
Google Maps
Satellite view of southwestern Kherson.


Stanislaus-Adzhyholskyy Range Front Light, March 2019
Google Maps photo by Dmitry N

Skadovsk Area Lighthouses
This coast faces Karkinit Bay, a wedge-shaped inlet of the Black Sea on the northwest side of the diamond-shaped Crimean Peninsula.

*
Skadovsk Range Rear
Date unknown. Listed with focal plane 18 m (60 ft); red light, 2 s on, 2 s off. Approx. 25 m (82 ft) square skeletal tower. The front of the tower carries a slatted daymark painted white with a black vertical stripe. Julia Martynova has a 2021 closeup photo, Andrii Andrii has a photo, Google has a street view and a satellite view. The front light is on a much smaller skeletal tower. Skadovsk is a beach resort town and a small port on the mainland side of Dzharylhach Bay, sheltered by Dzharylhach Island. Located in the middle of Tarasa Shevchenko Street about 300 m (330 yd) north of the harbor. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5260.1.
Dzharylhach (Ostrov Dzharylhach) (1)
1902. Inactive. 23 m (75 ft) square pyramidal cast iron skeletal tower with lantern, gallery, and central cylinder. The abandoned tower is rusting and gravely endangered by rising sea levels. Tatiana Garkusha has the 2020 photo at right, a 2017 photo is available, Wikimedia has a 2012 photo, Lightphotos.net has a photo of the two lighthouses, another photo shows both lighthouses, and Google has a satellite view. Dzharylhach is at the eastern tip of a 150 km (90 mi) long barrier beach; Tendrovskiy is at the western tip of the same sandy structure. Accessible only by boat. Site open; visitors climb the tower, but this is probably dangerous.
Dzharylhach (Ostrov Dzharylhach) (2)
Date unknown (station established 1902). Listed with focal plane 26 m (85 ft); red flash every 5 s. 23 m (75 ft) slender round cylindrical cast iron tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. Guy wires are used to steady the tower. This lighthouse stands close to the abandoned 1902 tower. A closeup is available, Svitlana Podchakha has a 2018 photo, Lightphotos.net has a photo of the two lighthouses, another photo shows both lighthouses, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the eastern tip of Ostrov Dzharylhach. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. UA-1210; Admiralty N5255; NGA 18210.
* Sofievskiy (2)
Date unknown. Listed with focal plane 14 m (46 ft); white flash every 3 s. 12 m (39 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower. The front of the tower carries a slatted daymark painted black. Yuri Shchutskiy has a street view and Google has an indistinct satellite view. This light has recently replaced a more substantial skeletal tower. Located just off the beach in Lazurne, a resort on the mainland west of Ostrov Dzharylhach. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5252.

1902 Dzharylhach Light, Dzharylhach, July 2012
ex-Google Maps photo by Tatiana Garkusha

Tendrovskaya Spit Lighthouses
The Tendrovskaya Spit is a hook-shaped barrier beach sheltering Tendrovskiy Bay. The spit is a hazard to ships approaching any of the ports of the Odessa Bight or Dnipro-Buh estuary.
 

* Zaliznyi (Zheleznyy) Port
Date unknown. Listed with focal plane 21 m (69 ft); red light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 12 m (39 ft) square tower rising from a 2-story coast guard building. Google has a street view and a satellite view. Despite its name Zaliznyi Port is a beach resort and not a port. Located on the beach front at the east edge of town. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5250; NGA 18205.
Tendrovskiy Zhelezny
Date unknown. Apparently inactive. No photo available but Bing has an indistinct satellite view. Located near a shallow pass in Tendrovskiy Spit about 25 km (15 mi) west of Zaliznyi. Site open, tower closed. ex-Admiralty N5248; NGA 18200.
Bili Kuchugury
Date unknown. Listed with focal plane 15 m (49 ft); red flash every 3 s. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) skeletal tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a spur of the north side of the Tendrovskaya Spit. Site status unknown. Admiralty N5242; NGA 18192.
Tendrivska (Tendrovskiy) South
Date unknown. Listed with focal plane 11 m (36 ft); white flash every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower, painted black. No photo available but Bing has an indistinct satellite view. Located on the Tendrovskiy Spit about 5 km (3 mi) south of the Tendrivska lighthouse (next entry). Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5247; NGA 18184.
Tendrivska (Tendrovskiy) West (2)
1904 (station established 1827). Listed with focal plane 29 m (95 ft); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 31 m (102 ft) round masonry tower with lantern and gallery, attached to a 1-story keeper's house. Lighthouse painted white with two black horizontal bands. Oleg Marchuk's 2018 photo is at right, ARLHS has a photo by UR5FA, the Derzhhidrohrafiyu has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. The original lighthouse was lost to rapid beach erosion in the area, and the current lighthouse is endangered similarly. Located at the westernmost bend of the Tendrovskiy Spit. Accessible only by boat or a long 4WD drive. Site status unknown. ARLHS UKR-032; UA-1165; Admiralty N5246; NGA 18188.
Tendrivska (Tendrovskiy) North
Date unknown. Listed with 27 m (89 ft); white flash every 3 s. 20 m (66 ft) square cylindical steel skeletal tower with gallery, painted red; the upper half of the tower is covered on two sides by a black slatted daymark. Vera Lavrova has a photo looking straight up the inside of the tower and Google has a distant satellite view of the station. This light marks the end of the long Tendrovskiy Spit. Accessible only by boat or a long 4WD drive. Site status unknown. ARLHS UKR-043; UA-1160; Admiralty N5244; NGA 18180.

Tendrivska West Light, Tendrovskaya Spit, September 2018
Google Maps photo by Oleg Marchuk

Dnipro (Dnieper) Estuary Southside Lighthouses
The Dnipro-Buh (Dnieper-Bug) Estuary is a liman (a broad estuary) extending about 55 km (34 mi) west to east. The Dnipro (Dnieper) River flows into the east end of the estuary; the Buh (Bug) joins the north side of the estuary in the middle. The lighthouses of this group are off the south coast in the eastern half of the estuary. They guide vessels toward the Dnipro, which is navigable to and beyond Kyiv, the national capital.

Stanislav-Adzhigol'skiy Range Front (Stanislav)
1915 (Vladimir G. Schukov). Listed with focal plane 24 m (79 ft); continuous red light. 26 m (85 ft) round skeletal tower with lantern, double gallery, enclosed watch room, and central cylinder. Entire lighthouse painted red. 1-story keeper's house adjoining the lighthouse. A 2019 photo is at the top of this page, Wikimedia has a 2008 photo, ARLHS has a photo by UR7GW, the Derzhhidrohrafiyu has a photo, and Google has a satellite view. The range guides ships approaching the Dnipro River. Located on a concrete pier on a tiny islet about 7 km (4.5 mi) west northwest of Rybalce. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS UKR-052; UA-1000; Admiralty N5149; NGA 18088.
#Stanislav-Adzhigol'skiy Range Rear (Adzhiogol)
1915 (Vladimir G. Schukov). Destroyed in 2022. This was a 64 m (210 ft) round skeletal tower with lantern, double gallery, enclosed watch room, and central cylinder. Entire lighthouse painted red. The 1-story keeper's house was built within the base. Ivan Antypenko's 2018 photo is at right, Serezha Konkretniy has a distant view, and ARLHS has a photo by UR7GW, but the tower has disappeared in Google's satellite view. The lighthouse was attacked and destroyed by Russian missiles during the Ukraine War in July 2022, a horrifying act. This remarkable (and Russian-built) lighthouse was built in the shape of a hyperbolic paraboloid; from a distance it had a light and graceful appearance that belied its great size. The range guided ships entering the Dnipro River. Located on a concrete pier on a tiny islet off the mouth of the Dnipro, about 2.5 km (1.5 mi) north of Rybalce. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS UKR-102; UA-1001; Admiralty N5149.1; NGA 18092.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:


Former Stanislaus-Adzhyholskyy Range Rear Light, June 2018
Google Maps photo by Ivan Antypenko

Adjoining pages: North: Ukraine: Dnipro River | South: Occupied Ukraine: Western Crimea | West: Ukraine: Mykolaiv Oblast

Return to the Lighthouse Directory index | Ratings key

Posted February 19, 2007. Checked and revised October 7, 2025. Lighthouses: 12. Site copyright 2025 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.