Dnieper

This article is about the river. For other uses, see Dnieper (disambiguation), Dnipro (disambiguation), and Dnepr (disambiguation).

Dnieper
File:Dnieper is one of the major rivers of Europe.jpg
Dnieper River drainage basin
Native name
Mouth	Dnieper Delta
Length	2,201 km (1,368 mi)
Mouth elevation	0 m (0 ft)

Settlements next to the Dnieper Towns/villages
blank spaces indicate as place above (")
Bocharovo Verkhnedneprovsky Dorogobuzh Smolensk Russia–Belarus border Dubroŭna Orsha Kopys Shkloŭ Mogilev Bykhaw Rahachow Žlobin Streshin Rečyca Loyew Komarin Belarus–Ukraine border Radul Liubech Vyshhorod Kyiv Hydroelectric Power Plant Kyiv Kozyn Ukrainka Rzhyshchiv Pereiaslav Kaniv Kaniv Hydroelectric Power Plant Cherkasy Svitlovodsk Kremenchuk Kremenchuk Hydroelectric Power Plant Horishni Plavni Verkhnodniprovsk Kamianske Middle Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Plant Dnipro Zaporizhzhia Dnieper Hydroelectric Station Vasylivka Dniprorudne Enerhodar Nikopol Kamianka-Dniprovska Novovorontsovka Velyka Lepetyha Hornostayivka Beryslav Kakhovka Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant Nova Kakhovka Dnipriany Oleshky Kherson Bilozerka Hola Prystan Ochakiv End of Dnieper Estuary—Black Sea uVEEf

The Dnieper (/[unsupported input]də[unsupported input]ˈniːpər/), also called Dnipro (/dəˈniːproʊ/), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately 2,200 km (1,400 mi) long, with a drainage basin of 504,000 square kilometres (195,000 sq mi), it is the longest river of Ukraine and Belarus and the fourth-longest river in Europe, after the Volga, Danube, and Ural rivers.

In antiquity, the river was part of the Amber Road trade routes. During the Ruin in the later 17th century, the area was contested between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Russia, dividing what is now Ukraine into areas described by its right and left banks. During the Soviet period, the river became noted for its major hydroelectric dams and large reservoirs. The 1986 Chernobyl disaster occurred on the Pripyat River, a tributary of the Dnieper, just upstream from its confluence with the Dnieper. The Dnieper is an important navigable waterway for the economy of Ukraine and is connected by the Dnieper–Bug Canal to other waterways in Europe. During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, certain segments of the river are part of the defensive lines between territory controlled by Russians and Ukrainians.

Names

Dnieper

Human representation of the Dnieper river (known as Borysthenes) on an Ancient Greek coin of Pontic Olbia, 4th–3rd century BC

File:Mahiloŭ, Dniaproŭski most-Traječča. Магілёў, Дняпроўскі мост-Траечча (1901-17).jpg

Pre-1918 photo with the old spelling of Dnieper (Днѣпръ)

In English, the name Dnieper is attested by the early 17th century, along with obsolete forms Deneper, Neper. The river is also sometimes called by the Russian name Dnepr. The initial D in Dnieper is generally silent when pronounced in English, although it may be sounded: /ˈniːpər/ or /dəˈniːpər/. It derives from Russian: Днепр

Dnieper

(pre-revolutionary spelling Russian: Днѣпръ).

Dnipro derives from Ukrainian: Дніпро. The English pronunciation is /dəˈniːproʊ/. The Ukrainian name has a rare form Ukrainian: Дніпр and rare dialectal Ukrainian: Дніпер. The Middle Ukrainian form attested in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries was Ukrainian: Днѣпръ. The city of Dnipro is named for the river.

The name varies slightly in the local Slavic languages of the three countries through which it flows:

• Belarusian: Дняпро, [dⁿʲaˈprɔ], or Днепр Dnyepr, [ˈdⁿʲɛpr]
• Russian: Днепр, tr. Dnepr; IPA: [ˈdⁿʲepr]; formerly spelled Днѣпръ
• Ukrainian: Дніпро, IPA: [ɟⁿʲiˈprɔ]; poetic Ukrainian: Дніпр; formerly Дніпер Dniper, [ˈɟⁿʲiper], or older Днѣпръ (Dnipr, [ˈdⁿ⁽ʲ⁾ipr])

These names are all cognate, deriving from Old East Slavic Дънѣпръ (Dŭněprŭ). The origin of this name is disputed but generally derived from either Sarmatian *Dānu Apara ("Farther River") in parallel with the Dniester ("Nearer River") or from Scythian *Dānu Apr ("Deep River") in reference to its lack of fords, from which was also derived the Late Antique name of the river, Danapris (Δαναπρις).

Borysthenes

The earlier Graeco-Roman name of the river was Borysthenes (Ancient Greek: Βορυσθενης; Latin: Borysthenes, Ukrainian: Бористен, Борисфен), which was derived from a Scythian name whose form was:

• either Baurastāna, meaning "yellow place,"
• or Baurustāna meant "place of beavers."
  • this name was linked to the mantle of beaver skins worn by the Iranic water goddess Arəduuī Sūrā Anāhitā, whose epithet of āp (Avestan: 𐬁𐬞) was connected to the name of the daughter of the river-god Borysthenēs in Scythian mythology, the Earth-and-Water goddess Api, whose own name meant "water."

Ovid used Borysthenius, an adjective derived from Borysthenes, as the river's poetic Latin name.

Var

The Huns' name for the river, Var, was derived from Scythian *Varu, meaning "Broad." This name was connected to the Graeco-Roman name of the Volga river, Oarus (Ancient Greek: Οαρος; Latin: Oarus), which was also derived from Scythian *Varu.

Other names

In Ukrainian it is also known poetically as Ukrainian: Славутич or Ukrainian: Славута, from an old name used in Kievan Rus'. This is due to the influence of the Old East Slavic epic The Tale of Igor's Campaign and its modern adaptations on Ukrainian literature. This usage also lent its name to the city of Slavutych, founded in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 to house displaced workers, and to the Slavutych station of the Kyiv Metro.

In Crimean Tatar, the river is known as Crimean Tatar: Özü. In Romanian, the it is Nipru. In Turkish it is Turkish: Dinyeper, Turkish: Özü, or Turkish: Özi.

The Kipchak Turks called it the Uzeu. During the period of Old Great Bulgaria, it was known as Buri-Chai

Geography

See also: List of crossings of the Dnieper River

The total length of the river is variously given as 2,145 kilometres (1,333 mi) or 2,201 km (1,368 mi), of which 485 km (301 mi) are within Russia, 700 km (430 mi) are within Belarus, and 1,095 km (680 mi) are within Ukraine. Its basin covers 504,000 square kilometres (195,000 sq mi), of which 289,000 km² (112,000 sq mi) are within Ukraine, 118,360 km² (45,700 sq mi) are within Belarus.

The source of the Dnieper is the sedge bogs (Akseninsky Mokh) of the Valdai Hills in central Russia, at an elevation of 220 m (720 ft). For 115 km (71 mi) of its length, it serves as the border between Belarus and Ukraine. Its estuary, or liman, used to be defended by the strong fortress of Ochakiv.

The southernmost point in Belarus is on the Dnieper to the south of Kamaryn in Brahin Raion.

Tributaries

Main article: Dnieper basin

Waterbodies in Belarus, including a section of the Dnieper river

The Dnieper has many tributaries (up to 32,000) with 89 being rivers of 100+ km. The main ones are, from its source to its mouth, with left (L) or right (R) bank indicated:

Context of the Dnieper basin showing peoples in the ninth century

• Vyazma (L)
• Vop (R)
• Khmost (R)
• Myareya (L)
• Drut (R)
• Berezina (R)
• Sozh (L)
• Pripyat (R)
• Teteriv (R)
• Irpin (R)
• Desna (L)
• Stuhna (R)
• Trubizh (L)
• Ros (R)
• Tiasmyn (R)
• Supii (L)
• Sula (L)
• Psel (L)
• Vorskla (L)
• Oril (L)
• Samara (L)
• Konka (Kherson Oblast)
• Konka (Zaporizhzhia Oblast)
• Bilozerka (L)
• Bazavluk (R)
• Inhulets (R)

Many small direct tributaries also exist, such as, in the Kyiv area, the Syrets (right bank) in the north of the city, the historically significant Lybid (right bank) passing west of the centre, and the Borshahivka (right bank) to the south.

The water resources of the Dnieper basin compose around 80% of the total for all Ukraine.

Rapids

File:Дніпрові пороги 1915.jpg

Rapids at Dnieper in 1915

File:Tractus Borysthenis vulgo Dniepr et Niepr Dicti, à Kiovia ufque ad Bouzin, Willem Blaeu (Amsterdam, 1662).jpg

Tractus Borysthenis or Dnieper (from Bovzin city to Chortyca island) in 1662

The Dnieper Rapids were part of the trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks, first mentioned in the Kyiv Chronicle. The route was probably established in the late eighth and early ninth centuries and gained significant importance from the tenth until the first third of the eleventh century. On the Dnieper the Varangians had to portage their ships round seven rapids, where they had to be on guard for Pecheneg nomads.

Along this middle flow of the Dnieper, there were 9 major rapids (although some sources cite a fewer number of them), obstructing almost the whole width of the river, about 30 to 40 smaller rapids, obstructing only part of the river, and about 60 islands and islets.

After the Dnieper hydroelectric station was built in 1932, they were inundated by Dnieper Reservoir.

Canals

There are a number of canals connected to the Dnieper:

• The Dnieper–Donbas Canal;
• The Dnieper–Kryvyi Rih Canal;
• The Kakhovka Canal (southeast of the Kherson region);
• The Krasnoznamianka Irrigation System in the southwest of the Kherson region;
• The North Crimean Canal—will largely solve the water problem of the peninsula, especially in the arid northern and eastern Crimea;
• The Inhulets Irrigation System.

Fauna

The river is part of the quagga mussel's native range. The mussel has been accidentally introduced around the world, where it has become an invasive species.

Delta

Thematic map (upper) and false-colour IR from satellite images of the Dnieper delta, captured 8 August 2015

The city of Kherson lies on the northern bank, upstream of the Dnieper delta, before the Dnieper meets the Southern Bug river in the Dniprovska Gulf.

Ecology

Nowadays the Dnieper River suffers from anthropogenic influence resulting in numerous emissions of pollutants. The Dnieper is close to the Prydniprovsky Chemical Plant radioactive dumps (near Kamianske) and susceptible to leakage of its radioactive waste. The river is also close to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station (Chernobyl Exclusion Zone) which is located next to the mouth of the Pripyat River.

Navigation

Almost 2,000 km (1,200 mi) of the river is navigable (to the city of Dorogobuzh). The Dnieper is important for transportation in the economy of Ukraine. Its reservoirs have large ship locks, allowing vessels of up to 270 by 18 metres (886 ft × 59 ft) access as far as the port of Kyiv, and thus are an important transportation corridor. The river is used by passenger vessels as well. Inland cruises on the rivers Danube and Dnieper have had a growing market in recent decades.

Upstream from Kyiv, the Dnieper receives the water of the Pripyat River. This navigable river connects to the Dnieper-Bug canal, the link with the Bug River. Historically, a connection with the Western European waterways was possible, but a weir without any ship lock near the town of Brest, Belarus, has interrupted this international waterway. Poor political relations between Western Europe and Belarus mean there is little likelihood of reopening this waterway in the near future. River navigation is interrupted each year by freezing and severe winter storms.

Reservoirs and hydroelectric power

Main article: Dnieper reservoir cascade

Kyiv HES

Kaniv HES

Kremenchuk HES

Middle Dnieper HES

Dnieper HES

Kahkovka HES†

Dams and hydroelectric stations in the Dniepr. (Ukraine)

From the mouth of the Pripyat River to the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Station, there are six sets of dams and hydroelectric stations, which produce 10% of Ukraine's electricity. The Kakhovka dam was destroyed on 6 June 2023 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with the subsequent drying up of the Kakhovka Reservoir revealing the original course of the river in the area and disconnecting four canal networks.

The first constructed was the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station (or DniproHES) near Zaporizhzhia, built between 1927 and 1932 with an output of 558 MW. It was destroyed during World War II, but was rebuilt in 1948 with an output of 750 MW.

Location	Dam	Reservoir area	Hydroelectric station	Date of construction
Kyiv	Kyiv Reservoir	922 km2 or 356 sq mi	Kyiv Hydroelectric Station	1960–1964
Kaniv	Kaniv Reservoir	675 km2 or 261 sq mi	Kaniv Hydroelectric Station	1963–1975
Kremenchuk	Kremenchuk Reservoir	2,250 km2 or 870 sq mi	Kremenchuk Hydroelectric Station	1954–1960
Kamianske	Kamianske Reservoir	567 km2 or 219 sq mi	Middle Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Plant	1956–1964
Zaporizhzhia	Dnieper Reservoir	420 km2 or 160 sq mi	Dnieper Hydroelectric Station	1927–1932; 1948
Kakhovka	Kakhovka Reservoir	2,155 km2 or 832 sq mi	Kakhovka Hydroelectric Station†	1950–1956

Regions and cities

Satellite image of the Dnieper and its tributaries

Regions

Smolensk Oblast, Russia Vitebsk Region, Belarus Mogilev Region, Belarus Gomel Region, Belarus

Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine Kirovohrad Oblast, Ukraine

Poltava Oblast, Ukraine Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine Kherson Oblast, Ukraine

• The Dnieper River in different regions
• 

  The Dnieper River in Kyiv, Ukraine

• 

  The Dnieper River in Dorogobuzh, Russian Empire, before 1917

• 

  The Dnieper River in Kremenchuk, Ukraine

• Above Dnieper river video from helicopter - 2004.ogv

  The Dnieper river in Ukraine from a helicopter, 2004

Cities

Major cities, over 100,000 in population, are in bold script. Cities and towns located on the Dnieper are listed in order from the river's source (in Russia) to its mouth (in Ukraine):

Dorogobuzh, Russia Smolensk, Russia Orsha, Belarus Shklow, Belarus Mogilev, Belarus Bychaw, Belarus Rahachow, Belarus Zhlobin, Belarus Rechytsa, Belarus Kyiv, Ukraine Ukrainka, Ukraine Kaniv, Ukraine

Cherkasy, Ukraine Kremenchuk, Ukraine Horishni Plavni, Ukraine Kamianske, Ukraine Dnipro, Ukraine Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine Marhanets, Ukraine Nikopol, Ukraine Enerhodar, Ukraine Kamianka-Dniprovska, Ukraine Nova Kakhovka, Ukraine Kherson, Ukraine

Arheimar, a capital of the Goths, was located on the Dnieper, according to the Hervarar saga.

In the arts

Literature

The River Dnieper has been a subject of chapter X of a story by Nikolai Gogol A Terrible Vengeance (1831, published in 1832 as a part of the Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka short stories collection). It is considered as a classical example of description of the nature in Russian literature. The river was also described in the works of Taras Shevchenko.

In the adventure novel The Long Ships (also translated Red Orm), set during the Viking Age, a Scanian chieftain travels to the Dnieper Rapids to retrieve a treasure hidden there by his brother, encountering many difficulties. The novel was very popular in Sweden and is one of few to depict a Viking voyage to eastern Europe.

Visual arts

The River Dnieper has been a subject for artists, great and minor, over the centuries. Major artists with works based on the Dnieper are Arkhip Kuindzhi and Ivan Aivazovsky.

Films

The River Dnieper makes an appearance in the 1964 Hungarian drama film The Sons of the Stone-Hearted Man (based on the novel of the same name by Mór Jókai), where it appears when two characters are leaving Saint Petersburg but get attacked by wolves.

In 1983, the concert program "Song of the Dnieper" from the "Victory Salute" series was released, dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the liberation of the city of Kiev from the German fascist invaders. The program includes songs by Soviet composers, Ukrainian folk songs, and dances performed by the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Kiev Military District led by A. Pustovalov, P. Virsky Ukrainian National Folk Dance Ensemble, Kyiv Bandurist Capella, the Military Band of the Headquarters of the Kiev Military District led by A. Kuzmenko, singers Anatoliy Mokrenko, Lyudmila Zykina, Anatoliy Solovianenko, Dmytro Hnatyuk, Mykola Hnatyuk. Filming on the battlefield, streets and squares of Kiev. Scriptwriter – Victor Meerovsky. Directed by Victor Cherkasov. Operator – Alexander Platonov.

The 2018 film Volcano was filmed at the river in Beryslav, Kherson Oblast.

Music

In 1941, Mark Fradkin wrote "Song of the Dnieper" to the words of Yevgeniy Dolmatovsky.

Image gallery

• The Dnieper in painting
• 

  Catherine II leaving Kaniów in 1787 by Johann Gottlieb Plersch

• 

  Dnieper by Arkhip Kuindzhi, 1881

• Arkhip Kuindzhi - Ночь на Днепре - Google Art Project.jpg

  Moonlit Night on the Dnieper by Arkhip Kuindzhi, 1882

• 

  Ice in the Dnieper by Ivan Aivazovsky, 1872

• 

  Sapphire Dnieper by Jan Stanisławski, 1904

Popular culture

• The river is one of the symbols of the Ukrainian nation and is mentioned in the national anthem of Ukraine.
• There are several historical names that connect the name of the river with Ukraine: Dnieper Ukraine (Naddniprianshchyna), Right-bank Ukraine, Left-bank Ukraine, and others.
• The cities Dnipro, Dniprorudne, Kamianka-Dniprovska are named after the river.
• The Zaporozhian Cossacks lived on the lower Dnieper and their name refers to their location "beyond the rapids".
• The folk metal band Turisas have a song called "The Dnieper Rapids" on their 2007 album The Varangian Way.

See also

• List of rivers of Russia
• List of rivers of Belarus
• List of rivers of Ukraine
• List of crossings of the Dnieper
• Middle Dnieper culture
• Trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks
• 2022–23 Dnipro River skirmishes

External links

•  
• Volodymyr Kubijovyč, Ivan Teslia, Dnieper River at the Encyclopedia of Ukraine
• Site about Dnieper—objects over the river, photos, facts
• Dnieper river charts

• "Комсомольская правда" об угрозах плотины Киевской ГЭС и водохранилища (tr. "Komsomolskaya Pravda" about the threats of the dam of the Kyiv hydroelectric power station and the reservoir")Archived 22 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
• "Аргументы и факты" о реальных угрозах дамбы Киевского водохранилища и ГЭС (tr. ""Arguments and Facts" about the real threats of the dam of the Kyiv reservoir and hydroelectric power station") Archived 25 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine
• "Известия" о проблематике плотины Киевского водохранилища и ГЭС (tr. ""Izvestia" about the problems of the dam of the Kyiv reservoir and hydroelectric power station")
• Эксперт УНИАН об угрозах дамбы Киевского водохранилища (tr. "UNIAN expert on the threats of the Kyiv reservoir dam")