59-666: The Kakhovka Dam was a dam on the Dnieper River (also known as Dnipro) in Kherson Oblast , Ukraine , completed in 1956 and destroyed in 2023 , which provided water for the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Station ( Ukrainian : Кахо́вська ГЕС імені П. С. Непорожнього , romanized : Kakhovs'ka HES imeni P. S. Neporozhn'oho ). The primary purposes of the dam were hydroelectric power generation, irrigation , and navigation . It
118-607: A Viking voyage to eastern Europe. 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 . 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,
177-512: A large caliber bullet pierced an outer wall of Reactor No. 4 and an artillery shell hit a transformer at Reactor No. 6. The potential catastrophe quickly led Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accuse Russian leader Vladimir Putin of “nuclear terrorism”. Ukrayinska Pravda reported on 12 March 2022 that the plant's management was told by Russian authorities that the plant now belonged to Rosatom , Russia's state nuclear power company. It continued to operate and supply data, including from
236-469: A remote monitoring system, to the IAEA , and continued to be operated by Ukrainian staff, under Russian control. Satellite imagery from 9 July 2022 and 7 August 2022 shows that Russian forces established bases and defensive positions next to the reactor units, along the central supply route and on the periphery of the facility. On 3 September 2022 an IAEA delegation visited the plant and on 6 September 2022
295-878: A report was published documenting damage and potential threats to plant security caused by external shelling and the presence of occupying troops in the plant. With the declared annexation of Zaporizhzhia oblast , Russia also declared legal takeover of the plant, while the actual control over its operations continued to be unclear as of October 2022. Russian forces detained a number of plant's Ukrainian employees—starting from its deputy director Valery Martynyuk, his assistant Oleh Oshek, and IT manager Oleh Kostyukov—without providing any justification for their detainment. As of November 2022, Ukrainian cities had drawn up plans for evacuation centers and secured supplies of potassium iodide pills, and 10% of Ukrainian emergency medical teams had been reconfigured to respond to chemical, biological, radiation, and nuclear risks. The destruction of
354-487: A result of neglect, the damaged dam was not adjusted to match the seasonal increase in water flow. As a result, water washed over the top of the dam and land upstream of the dam was flooded. Water levels in the reservoir reached a 30-year high. The raised water level caused some nearby villages to flood. On 6 June 2023, an explosion caused significant damage to the central section of the 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) wide dam, resulting in uncontrolled water flow downstream. There
413-411: A variety of weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades . During approximately two hours of heavy combat, a fire broke out in a training facility outside the main complex, which was extinguished by 6:20am, though other sections surrounding the plant sustained damage. The fire did not impact reactor safety or any essential equipment. The plant lost 1.3 GW of capacity. It was later learned that
472-801: Is Özü or Özi . 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 km (112,000 sq mi) are within Ukraine, 118,360 km (45,700 sq mi) are within Belarus. The source of
531-505: Is / d ə ˈ n iː p r oʊ / . The Ukrainian name has a rare form Дніпр , Dnipr and rare dialectal Дніпер , Dniper . The Middle Ukrainian form attested in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries was Днѣпръ , Dnǐpr . 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: These names are all cognate, deriving from Old East Slavic Дънѣпръ ( Dŭněprŭ ). The origin of this name
590-593: Is also close to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station ( Chernobyl Exclusion Zone ) which is located next to the mouth of the Pripyat River . 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
649-622: 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, Δάναπρις Danapris , as found in the Ravenna Cosmography . The earlier Graeco-Roman name of the river, as attested by Herodotus ,
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#1732772052794708-639: 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 Özü . In Turkish it
767-573: 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
826-470: Is operated by Ukrhydroenergo , which was founded in 1994. The construction of the dam flooded the Great Meadow ( Velykyi Luh ) forest and marsh ecosystem. The central section of the dam consists of (from north-west to south-east) a reinforced concrete barrage dam , the hydro power station, and a lock for shipping. The whole dam, including lengthy embankments on each side of the central section,
885-492: The Great Meadow . 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. Major cities, over 100,000 in population, are in bold script. Cities and towns located on the Dnieper are listed in order from
944-933: The Kakhovka Reservoir for cooling. The reservoir is created by the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam, which is a main conflict location of the two war participants. The electricity generated is supplied to the Ukrainian grid through four 750 kV overhead transmission lines and one 330 kV line. One of the 750 kV lines runs northwards across the Kakhovka Reservoir and on to the Dniprovska substation just south of Vilnohirsk in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast . The other three 750 kV lines run south from
1003-832: The North Crimean Canal , the Kakhovsky canal and the Dnieper–Kryvyi Rih Canal. On 24 February 2022, the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine , the power plant was captured by Russian forces. During weeks of artillery attacks by Ukraine in August and September, Ukrainian and Russian officials reported that the facility's ability to transport vehicles had been degraded, but the dam itself retained structural integrity. In mid-October 2022, news reports suggested that Russians may have been planning to blow up
1062-497: 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 known as
1121-458: 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 were made part of the defensive lines between territory controlled by
1180-510: The United Kingdom are leaning towards an assessment of Russian culpability. The New York Times has written that "the most likely cause of the collapse was an explosive charge placed in the maintenance passageway, or gallery, that runs through the concrete heart of the structure" and that "the evidence clearly suggests the dam was crippled by an explosion set off by the side that controls it: Russia." EU and Ukrainian leaders condemned
1239-755: 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
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#17327720527941298-711: 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 . 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: Many small direct tributaries also exist, such as, in
1357-470: The Dnieper" to the words of Yevgeniy Dolmatovsky . Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station ( Ukrainian : Запорізька атомна електростанція , romanized : Zaporiz'ka atomna elektrostantsiia ) in southeastern Ukraine is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe and among the 10 largest in the world . It has been under Russian control since 2022. It
1416-650: The IAEA reported the presence of mines along the perimeter of the power plant's territory, in the buffer zone between the inner and outer fences of the facility. According to the Agency it is "inconsistent with the IAEA safety standards." Mines that had been found there previously were removed in November 2023. On 7 April 2024, the IAEA reported that the plant was attacked by drones , apparently targeting surveillance and communication equipment. Russian troops tried to shoot down
1475-761: 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. The Dnieper Rapids were part of the trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks , first mentioned in the Kyiv Chronicle. The route
1534-728: 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 . In 1941, Mark Fradkin wrote "Song of
1593-457: The Russian company Rosatom claimed control over the plant. Since its capture, the plant does not generate power and is mostly shut down. The spent nuclear fuel is stored in cooling pools inside the reactor containments for up to five years. It is then transferred to an on-site dry cask storage facility that was commissioned in 2004. The reactors and spent fuel pools depend on water from
1652-669: The Russians and the Ukrainians. 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: / ˈ n iː p ər / or / d ə ˈ n iː p ər / . It derives from Russian : Днепр , romanized : Dnepr , pre-revolutionary spelling Днѣпръ , Dněpr . Dnipro derives from Ukrainian : Дніпро , romanized : Dnipro . The English pronunciation
1711-466: 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. From the mouth of
1770-571: The Zaporizka substation north of Znackove in Zaporizhzhia Oblast . The 330 kV line runs to the neighbouring Zaporizhzhia thermal power station . In 2017, modernization work was completed on reactor unit 3, enabling a 10-year life extension to 2027. In 2021, modernization work was completed on unit 5, enabling a 10-year life extension. On 27 January 1984, a major fire started during commissioning of unit 1, before any nuclear fuel
1829-521: The canals fed from the Kakhovka Dam. Four canals have been identified as drying up. This could affect the drinking water of some 700,000 people. It could affect the growing of crops such as corn, soy beans, sunflower, and wheat as well as vegetables and fruits such as melons. Dnieper The Dnieper ( /( d ə ) ˈ n iː p ər / (də)- NEE -pər ), also called Dnepr or Dnipro ( / d ə ˈ n iː p r oʊ / də- NEE -proh ),
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1888-554: 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 ,
1947-467: The country from early until late December 2014. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on 24 February 2022, Energoatom shut down Units 5 and 6 to reduce risk, keeping Units 1 to 4 in operation on 25 February. At 11:28 pm local time on 3 March 2022, a column of 10 Russian armored vehicles and two tanks approached the power plant. Fighting commenced at 12:48am on 4 March when Ukraine forces fired anti-tank missiles . Russian forces responded with
2006-524: The dam since the start of the invasion, but the two sides disagree on the cause of the destruction. Russian-imposed officials in occupied Ukraine claim sabotage by Ukrainian forces. Ukrainian officials attribute the disaster to the 205th Motorized Rifle Brigade of Russia. No other national government has assigned blame for the dam's destruction, but it was reported by the BBC that both the United States and
2065-517: The dam to slow down the expected Ukrainian counter-offensive in the region. On 11 November, a large explosion occurred in the northern section of the dam, shown on CCTV footage. The road and rail sections on top of the dam were destroyed, but the dam itself remained mostly undamaged. The explosion was attributed to Russian forces retreating from Kherson . The southern bank of Dnipro and dam machinery remained under Russian control. Russian forces opened additional sluice gates, allowing water to rush out of
2124-562: The dam was profitable bringing ₴6.1 million ($ 236,000) to local government budgets and ₴44.6 million ($ 1.73 million) to the national income. On the morning of 6 June 2023, much of the dam was destroyed while it was under Russian control during the Russian invasion of Ukraine . Construction of the dam began in September 1950. The last generator was commissioned in October 1956. Significant repairs and expansion were made from 2019. It
2183-518: The dam's destruction and called it a potential war crime but reserved judgement on the attack. While Russia denies culpability, experts state that a deliberate explosion from inside the Russian-controlled dam is the most probable cause of its destruction. On 7 June, Ihor Syrota, head of Ukrhydroenergo , said that it would take "at least five years, [and] $ 1 billion" to rebuild the Kakhovka Dam. The BBC used satellite imagery to look at
2242-471: The drones without success. There was at least one casualty outside a laboratory, three direct hits on reactor containment structures and minor superficial scorching on the Unit 6 reactor dome. Although the nuclear safety was not compromised as there was no evidence of any structural damage to systems, the Agency considers strike as a major threat to nuclear safety. On 11 August 2024, a fire broke out at one of
2301-576: 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
2360-497: The nearby Kakhovka Dam on 6 June 2023 was reported to have no immediate risk to the plant. Generally five units have been in cold shutdown with one unit kept in hot shutdown, which the IAEA reported was necessary to produce steam for nuclear safety purposes, including the processing of liquid radioactive waste in storage tanks. The IAEA is urging the investigation of whether an external boiler can be installed as an alternative to keeping one unit in hot shutdown. On 19 January 2024,
2419-544: The occurrence of an incident several days before at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The cause of the incident was reported as a short circuit in the power outlet system and was not linked to the site's production. One of the six reactors of the plant was shut down twice in December 2014. This and lack of coal for Ukraine's coal-fired power stations led to rolling blackouts throughout
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2478-410: The plant's cooling towers (which are not in use as long as the reactors remain shut down), leading to mutual accusations between Ukraine and Russia over its cause. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russian forces intentionally started the fire to blackmail Kyiv, while Russian-installed officials in the region blamed Ukrainian shelling. Despite the tensions, both sides confirmed that there
2537-608: The plant. One diverges from the others near the village of Zapovitne and runs to the Kakhovska substation just west of Nova Kakhovka . This is the newest of the lines and was commissioned in 2021. Two lines continue south-southeast, diverging at the urban-type settlement of Mykhailivka . One continues southeast to the Pivdennodonbaska mines in Donetsk Oblast , while the other continues east and then north to
2596-528: 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
2655-632: The reservoir. At that time the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration in a statement suggested that one of the purposes of draining the reservoir might have been to flood the area south of the dam, in order to keep Ukrainian Forces from crossing the Dnipro River. Officials stated that Ukrhydroenergo , Ukraine's hydro electric company, believed Russian forces "opened the station's locks fearing an advance of Ukrainian soldiers". In early November 2022,
2714-712: The river's source (in Russia) to its mouth (in Ukraine): Arheimar , a capital of the Goths , was located on the Dnieper, according to the Hervarar saga . 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
2773-557: 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 , romanized : Oaros ; Latin : Oarus ), which was also derived from Scythian *Varu . In Ukrainian it is also known poetically as Славутич , Slavutych or Славута , Slavuta , from an old name used in Kievan Rus' . This
2832-418: The sixth was added in 1995. In 2020, the plant generated nearly half of the country's electricity derived from nuclear power, and more than a fifth of total electricity generated in Ukraine . The Zaporizhzhia thermal power station is nearby. On 4 March 2022, days into the Russian invasion of Ukraine , Russian forces seized both the nuclear and thermal power stations . As of 12 March 2022 ,
2891-492: The spillways at the dam had been opened, and the Kakhovka Reservoir dropped to its lowest level in three decades, putting irrigation and drinking water resources at risk, as well as the coolant systems for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant . Between 1 December 2022 and 6 February 2023, the water level dropped 2 meters (6.6 ft). From mid-February to late May 2023, either deliberately or as
2950-463: 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 . There are a number of canals connected to the Dnieper: The river is part of the quagga mussel 's native range. The mussel has been accidentally introduced around
3009-751: The world, where it has become an invasive species . The city of Kherson lies on the northern bank, upstream of the Dnieper delta , before the Dnieper meets the Southern Bug river in the Dnieper–Bug estuary . 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
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#17327720527943068-443: Was " Borysthenes " ( Ancient Greek : Βορυσθενης , romanized : Borusthenēs ; Latin : Borysthenes , Ukrainian : Бористен, Борисфен , romanized : Borysten, Borysfen ) and later Δάναπρις Danapris . The name Borysthenes was derived from a Scythian name whose form was: Ovid used Borysthenius , an adjective derived from Borysthenes , as the river's poetic Latin name. The Huns ' name for
3127-402: Was 3.2 km (2.0 mi) long on the side facing the reservoir. The power station had an installed capacity of 357 MW. The Kakhovka Reservoir held 18 cubic kilometres of water, equivalent to the Great Salt Lake in the United States. The reservoir supplies water for cooling the 5.7 GW Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant , and for irrigating areas of southern Ukraine and northern Crimea via
3186-546: Was an occurrence of an "internal explosion of the structures" within the dam, according to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy . Evacuations and rescue operations commenced as a result. According to the United Nations , the breach in the Kakhova Dam would have catastrophic consequences. The destruction of the dam led to tens of thousands of people being in a flood zone and more than 50 deaths. Over 40 different towns and villages in Ukraine are severely flooded and massive numbers of livestock have perished. Russia has controlled
3245-511: Was built by the Soviet Union near the city of Enerhodar , on the southern shore of the Kakhovka Reservoir on the Dnieper river. From 1996 to 2022, it was operated by Energoatom , which operates Ukraine's other three nuclear power stations. The plant has six VVER-1000 pressurized light water nuclear reactors (PWR), each fuelled with U ( LEU ) and generating 950 MW e , for a total power output of 5,700 MW e . The first five were successively brought online between 1985 and 1989, and
3304-412: Was in the reactor. An electrical relay caused PVC insulation to catch fire, molten PVC causing more fires below in a vertical shaft. More than 4,000 control units, 41 motors, and 700 km of cables were damaged. The Zaporizhzhia power plant is located around 200 km from the war in Donbas combat zone, where fighting started in 2014. On 3 December 2014, Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk announced
3363-436: Was no radiation spike or immediate nuclear danger. The incident occurred amid Ukraine's significant military advances into Russian territory, marking a deepening of the conflict. IAEA Director General Grossi said "The evidence gathered reinforces our conclusion that the main fire seems unlikely to be at the base of the cooling tower.” Days later, the IAEA team at the plant reported that the damage seemed to have been caused by
3422-432: 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 smaller number), obstructing almost
3481-406: Was the sixth and last dam in the Dnieper reservoir cascade . The deep water channel created by the downstream flow allowed shipping up and down river. The facility also included a winter garden. The R47 road and a railway crossed the Dnieper River on the dam. The Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant had a staff of 241 in October 2015. The director is Yaroslav Kobelya from September 2012. As of 2019,
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