Chornobaivka

Chornobaivka is a suburban town near Kherson where the Kherson International Airport is located. In the first few days of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces attacked and captured the airport. Ukrainian military forces engaged in frequent and successful attacks on Russian positions, disrupting Russian plans to use the airport as a staging ground for further attacks on Ukraine. In November 2022, Russian military leaders announced their retreat from Kherson, leading to Ukraine's recapturing of the airport and the whole region. Memes about Chornobaivka relate to the success of Ukraine's military in this campaign. Memes paint Chornobaivka as a cursed place that Russian military keeps returning to, only to meet the same fate of defeat and death (of note, Russian general Yakov Rezantsev died in the fighting in Chornobaivka).