Dnieper

{{Short description|Major river in Eastern Europe}} {{distinguish|text=the Dniester, which also flows through Ukraine}} {{About|the river|other uses|Dnieper (disambiguation)|and|Dnipro (disambiguation)|and|Dnepr (disambiguation)}} {{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}} {{more citations needed|date=November 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}} {{Infobox river | name = Dnieper | native_name = {{native name list |tag1=ru|name1=Днепр |tag2=be|name2=Дняпро |tag3=uk|name3=Дніпро}} | name_other = | name_etymology =  | image = Dniepr river in Kyiv.jpg | image_size = 250px | image_caption = Dnieper in Kyiv | map = Dnipro Basin River Town International.png | map_size = | map_caption = Dnieper River drainage basin (lighter tones) | pushpin_map = | pushpin_map_size = | pushpin_map_caption =  | subdivision_type1 = Countries | subdivision_name1 = {{hlist|Russia|Belarus|Ukraine}} | subdivision_type2 = | subdivision_name2 = | subdivision_type3 = | subdivision_name3 = | subdivision_type4 = | subdivision_name4 = | subdivision_type5 = Cities | subdivision_name5 = {{hlist|Dorogobuzh|Smolensk|Mogilev|Kyiv|Cherkasy|Dnipro|Zaporizhzhia|Kherson}} | length = {{convert|2201|km|mi|abbr=on}} | width_min = | width_avg = | width_max = | depth_min = | depth_avg = | depth_max = | discharge1_location = Kherson | discharge1_min = | discharge1_avg = {{convert|1670|m3/s|cuft/s|abbr=on}} | discharge1_max =  | source1 = | source1_location = Valdai Hills, Russia | source1_coordinates = {{Coord|55|52|18.08|N|33|43|27.08|E|type:river_region:RU-SMO|display=inline}} | source1_elevation = {{convert|220|m|abbr=on}} | mouth = Dnieper Delta | mouth_location = Ukraine | mouth_coordinates = {{Coord|46|30|00|N|32|20|00|E|type:river_region:UA-48|display=inline,title}} | mouth_elevation = {{convert|0|m|abbr=on}} | progression = | river_system = | basin_size = {{convert|504000|km2|abbr=on}} | tributaries_left = Sozh, Desna, Trubizh, Supiy, Sula, Psel, Vorskla, Samara, Konka (Kherson Oblast), Konka (Zaporizhzhia Oblast), Bilozerka | tributaries_right = Drut, Berezina, Pripyat, Teteriv, Irpin, Stuhna, Ros, Tiasmyn, Bazavluk, Inhulets | custom_label = Protection status | custom_data = {{Designation list | embed = yes | designation1 = Ramsar | designation1_offname = Dnieper River Floodplain | designation1_date = 29 May 2014 | designation1_number = 2244<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dnieper River Floodplain|website=Ramsar Sites Information Service|url=https://rsis.ramsar.org/ris/2244|access-date=25 April 2018}}</ref>}} | mapframe = yes | mapframe-wikidata=yes | mapframe-zoom=4 | mapframe-height=250 | mapframe-stroke-width=1.5 }}

{{routemap |title=Settlements next to the Dnieper Towns/villages |top=blank spaces indicate as place above (") |title-color=DarkSlateBlue |title-bg=FFFFF0 |collapse=yes |map= uexKHSTa~~Bocharovo uexSTR~~Verkhnedneprovsky uexSTR~~Dorogobuzh uexSTR~~Smolensk Russia–Belarus border! !uENDExa uSTR~~Dubroŭna uSTR~~Orsha uSTR~~Kopys uSTR~~Shkloŭ uSTR~~Mogilev uSTR~~Bykhaw uSTR~~Rahachow uSTR~~Žlobin uSTR~~Streshin uSTR~~Rečyca uSTR~~Loyew uSTR~~Komarin Belarus–Ukraine border! !uVGATE uSTR~~Radul uSTR~~Liubech uSTR~~Vyshhorod uehKRZ~~Kyiv Hydroelectric Power Plant uSTR~~Kyiv uSTR~~Kozyn uSTR~~Ukrainka uSTR~~Rzhyshchiv uSTR~~Pereiaslav Kaniv! !uehKRZ~~Kaniv Hydroelectric Power Plant uSTR~~Cherkasy uSTR~~Svitlovodsk Kremenchuk! !uehKRZ~~Kremenchuk Hydroelectric Power Plant uSTR~~Horishni Plavni uSTR~~Verkhnodniprovsk Kamianske! !uehKRZ~~Middle Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Plant uSTR~~Dnipro Zaporizhzhia! !uehKRZ~~Dnieper Hydroelectric Station uSTR~~Vasylivka uSTR~~Dniprorudne uSTR~~Enerhodar uSTR~~Nikopol uSTR~~Kamianka-Dniprovska uSTR~~Novovorontsovka uSTR~~Velyka Lepetyha uSTR~~Hornostayivka uSTR~~Beryslav Kakhovka! !uehKRZ~~Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant uSTR~~Nova Kakhovka uSTR~~Dnipriany uSTR~~Oleshky uSTR~~Kherson uSTR~~Bilozerka uSTR~~Hola Prystan uSTR~~Ochakiv End of Dnieper Estuary—Black Sea~~ ~~! !uVEEf }}

The '''Dnieper''' or '''Dnepr''' ({{IPAc-en|(|d|ə|)|ˈ|n|iː|p|ər}} {{Respell|(də|)NEE|pər}}),{{efn|{{Langx|ru|Днепр|Dnepr}}, {{IPA|ru|dnʲepr|pron|ru-Днепр.ogg}}; {{Langx|be|Днепр|Dniepr}}, {{IPA|be|dnʲɛpr|pron}}.}} also known as the '''Dnipro''' ({{IPAc-en|(|d|ə|)|ˈ|n|iː|p|r|oʊ}} {{respell|(də|)NEE|proh}}),{{efn|{{Langx|uk|Дніпро|Dnipro}}, {{IPA|uk|d⁽ʲ⁾n⁽ʲ⁾iˈprɔ|pron|uk-Дніпро.ogg}}; {{Langx|be|Дняпро|Dniapro|links=no}}, {{IPA|be|dnʲaˈprɔ|pron}}.}} 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 {{convert|2200|km|mi|abbr=on}} long,<ref name=statistics>{{cite web |url = http://landofancestors.com/travel/statistics/geography/237-main-characteristics-of-the-largest-rivers.html |title = Main Geographic Characteristics of the Republic of Belarus. Main characteristics of the largest rivers of Belarus |website = Land of Ancestors |publisher = Data of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus. |year = 2011 |access-date= 27 September 2013 }}</ref> with a drainage basin of {{convert|504000|km2|mi2}}, it is the longest river of Ukraine and Belarus and the fourth-longest river in Europe, after the Volga, Danube, and Ural rivers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dnieper River |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Dnieper-River |access-date=25 May 2022 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

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 the Russian Empire, 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 were made part of the defensive lines between territory controlled by the Russians and the Ukrainians.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Cooper |first1=Helene |last2=Schmitt |first2=Eric |last3=Barnes |first3=Julian E. |date=12 November 2022 |title=Winter Will Be a Major Factor in the Ukraine War, Officials Say |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/12/us/politics/winter-ukraine-russia-war.html |access-date=12 November 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Russian Forces Digging Trenches, Fortifications On Banks Of Dnieper River, Satellite Imagery Shows |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-dnieper-trenches-fortifications-satellite-photos/32127029.html |access-date=12 November 2022 |website=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty |language=en|last1=Ovsyaniy |first1=Kyrylo }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=11 November 2022 |title=Ukraine in 'final stage' of reclaiming west bank of Dnipro River |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-final-stage-reclaiming-right-river-bank-kherson-region-2022-11-11/ |access-date=12 November 2022}}</ref>

==Names== ===Dnieper=== [[File:Pontic Olbia Borysthenes.jpg|thumb|Human representation of the Dnieper river (known as Borysthenes) on an Ancient Greek coin of Pontic Olbia, 4th–3rd century BC]] thumb|Pre-1918 photo with the old spelling of Dnieper ({{lang|ru-petr1708|Днѣпръ}}) The river is also sometimes called by the Russian name ''Dnepr''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dnepr |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/dnepr |access-date=3 December 2023 |website=Collins English Dictionary |publisher=HarperCollins}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Dnepr |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/Dnepr |access-date=3 December 2023 |website=Dictionary.com (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)}}</ref> ({{Lang|ru|Днепр}},{{sfn|Felecan|Bughesiu|2021|p=406: "To Skythians [...] are traditionally ascribed Russia's oldest surviving toponyms—river names ''Дон'' (''Don'') and ''Днепр'' (''Dnepr, Dnieper'')"}}<ref name=":2" /> pre-revolutionary spelling {{Langx|ru|Днѣпръ|translit=Dněpr|label=none}}).<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hSaJpwecqZIC&pg=PA20 | title=Днѣпр и приднѣпровье: Описаніе губерній, смоленкой, Минской. Черниговской, Киевской, Полтавской, Екатеринославской, Херсонской, Таврической и Курской| last1=Турбин| first1=Сергей Иванович| year=1879}}</ref> The initial D in Dnieper is generally silent when pronounced in English, although it may be sounded: {{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|iː|p|ə(r)}}<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Dnieper|access-date=25 July 2018}}</ref> or {{IPAc-en|d|ə|ˈ|n|iː|p|ə(r)}}.<ref name=":0">{{Cite dictionary |title=Dnieper |dictionary=Lexico UK English Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Dnieper |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202094055/https://www.lexico.com/definition/dnieper |archive-date=2 December 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

''Dnipro'' derives from {{langx|uk|Дніпро|translit=Dnipro}}.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Cybriwsky |first=Roman A. |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/1038735219 |title=Along Ukraine's river : a social andenvironmental history of the Dnipro |publisher=Central European University Press |year=2018 |isbn=978-963-386-205-6 |location=Budapest |pages=7 |language=en |oclc=1038735219 |quote=Much of the world knows the Dnipro only as the Dnieper, a name based on the Russian-language ''Dnepr'' and widely used before Ukraine achieved its independence in 1991, in concert with the fall of the Soviet Union. “Dnipro” is the Ukrainian-language word for the river, and is now its official name for international usage.}}</ref> The English pronunciation is {{IPAc-en|d|ə|ˈ|n|iː|p|r|əʊ}}.<ref>[https://www.dictionary.com/browse/dnipro Dnipro] ''www.dictionary.com''</ref> The Ukrainian name has a rare form {{Langx|uk|Дніпр|translit=Dnipr|label=none}} and rare dialectal {{Langx|uk|Дніпер|translit=Dniper|label=none}}.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Runyc'kyj |first=Jaroslav B. |title=An Etymological Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language |publisher=Ukrainian Mohylo-Mazepian Academy of Sciences and Ukrainian Language Association |year=1982 |volume=II |location=Ottawa |pages=154–56 |language=en}}</ref> The Middle Ukrainian form attested in the 16th to 18th centuries was {{Langx|uk|Днѣпръ|translit=Dnǐpr|label=none}}.<ref name=":1" /> The city of Dnipro is named for the river.

In Belarusian, the river is called {{langx|be|Дняпро|translit=Dniapro|label=none}}, or {{langx|be|Днепр|Dniepr|label=none}}.<ref>Блакітная кніга Беларусі: Энцыклапедыя. — Мінск: Беларуская Энцыклапедыя, 1994. — С. 144. — 415 с. — 10 000 экз.</ref>

These names are all cognate, deriving from Old East Slavic {{lang|orv|Дънѣпръ}} (''Dŭněprŭ''). The origin of this name is disputed but generally derived from either Sarmatian *{{lang|xsc|Dānu Apara}} ("Farther River") in parallel with the Dniester ("Nearer River") or from Scythian *{{lang|xsc|Dānu Apr}} ("Deep River") in reference to its lack of fords,<ref name="Mallory, J.P 2000. p. 106">{{cite book |last1=Mallory |first1=J. P. |first2=Victor H. |last2=Mair |title=The Tarim Mummies: Ancient China and the Mystery of the Earliest Peoples from the West |location=London |publisher=Thames and Hudson |year=2000 |page=106 |isbn=0-500-05101-1 }}</ref><ref>[http://i.ironau.ru/pdf/osjazfolk1949.pdf Абаев В. И. Осетинский язык и фольклор (''tr "Ossetian language and folklore"''). Moscow: Publishing house of Soviet Academy of Sciences, 1949. p. 236]</ref> from which was also derived the Late Antique name of the river, {{lang|grc|Δάναπρις}} {{lang|la|Danapris}}, as found in the Ravenna Cosmography.<ref name="smithdictborys">{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology|editor-first=William|editor-last=Smith|author-first=Philip|author-last=Smith|title=BORY´STHENES|place=London|publisher=John Murray|year=1854}}</ref>{{sfn|Felecan|Bughesiu|2021|p=406}}

===Borysthenes=== The earlier Graeco-Roman name of the river, as attested by Herodotus, was "Borysthenes" ({{langx|grc|Βορυσθένης|translit=Borusthénēs}};{{sfn|Felecan|Bughesiu|2021|p=406}} {{langx|la|Borysthenes}}, {{Langx|uk|Бористен, Борисфен|translit=Borysten, Borysfen}}<ref name=":1" />) and later {{lang|el|Δάναπρις}} ''Danapris''.{{sfn|Felecan|Bughesiu|2021|p=406}} The name ''Borysthenes'' was derived from a Scythian name whose form was: * either {{transliteration|xsc|Baurastāna}}, meaning "yellow place",{{sfn|Bukharin|2013|p=23}} * or {{transliteration|xsc|Baurustāna}} meant "place of beavers".{{sfn|Kullanda|2013|p=39–41}} ** This name was linked to the mantle of beaver skins worn by the Iranic water goddess Arəduuī Sūrā Anāhitā, whose epithet of {{transliteration|ae|āp}} ({{langx|ae|{{script|Avst|𐬁𐬞}}|lit=water}}) 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".{{sfn|Kullanda|2013|p=39–41}}

Ovid used {{lang|la|Borysthenius}}, an adjective derived from {{lang|la|Borysthenes}}, as the river's poetic Latin name.<ref name="l&sborysthenes2">{{cite encyclopedia |author1-first=Charlton |author1-last=Lewis |author2-first=Charles |author2-last=Short |encyclopedia=A Latin Dictionary. Founded on Andrews' edition of Freund's Latin dictionary. Revised, enlarged, and in great part rewritten by Charlton T. Lewis, Ph.D. and Charles Short, LL.D. |title=Bŏrysthĕnes, is |place=Oxford |publisher=Clarendon Press |year=1879 |url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0059%3Aentry%3DBorysthenes}}</ref>

===Var=== The Huns' name for the river, {{transliteration|xhc|Var}}, was derived from Scythian {{transliteration|xsc|*Varu}}, meaning "Broad". This name was connected to the Graeco-Roman name of the Volga river, {{transliteration|en|Oarus}} ({{langx|grc|Ὄαρος|translit=Óaros}}; {{langx|la|Oarus}}), which was also derived from Scythian {{transliteration|xsc|*Varu}}.{{sfn|Harmatta|1999|p=129}}

===Other names=== In Ukrainian it is also known poetically as {{Langx|uk|Славутич|translit=Slavutych|label=none}} or {{Langx|uk|Славута|translit=Slavuta|label=none}},<ref name=":1" /> 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,<ref name="Yatzik2">{{cite book|author1-last = Яцик|author1-first=А. В.|author2-last= Яковлєв|author2-first=Є. О.|author3-last=Осадчук|author3-first=В. О. |title = До питання щодо спуску Київського водосховища (''Do pytanni︠a︡ shchodo spusku kyïvsʹkoho vodoskhovyshcha'') |editor = А. В. Яцика |place = Kiev |publisher = Оріяни (Oriany)|year = 2002 |pages = 6–12 |isbn = 966-7373-78-9 |language = uk}}</ref>{{page needed|date=March 2022}} and to the Slavutych station of the Kyiv Metro.{{cn|date=April 2026}}

In Crimean Tatar, the river is known as {{Langx|crh|Özü|label=none|italic=yes}}. In Turkish it is {{Langx|tr|Özü|label=none}} or {{Langx|tr|Özi|label=none}} ({{langx|ota|اوزی}}),<ref>{{cite book|author=Dariusz Kolodziejczyk |page=705|title=Ottoman-Polish Diplomatic Relations (15th-18th Century) An Annotated Edition of 'Ahdnames and Other Documents|year =2022|publisher=Brill}}</ref> which was derived from Ochakiv.<ref>{{TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi|url=https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/ozu|title=ÖZÜ: Günümüzde Ukrayna sınırları içinde bulunan tarihî bir kale ve şehir.|trans-title=ABSTRACT: A historical castle and city located within the borders of Ukraine today.|author=Temel Öztürk}}</ref>

==Geography== {{see also|List of crossings of the Dnieper River}} The total length of the river is variously given as {{convert|2145|km|mi}}<ref name=statistics /> or {{convert|2201|km|mi|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite book |last=Zastavnyi |first=F. D. |url=https://geoknigi.com/book_view.php?id=798 |title=Physical Geography of Ukraine. Rivers of Ukraine. Dnieper |work= |year=2000 |series=Forum |location=Kyiv}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Masliak |first1=P. |title=Heohrafii︠a︡ Ukraïny |last2=Shyshchenko |first2=P. |work= |year=1998 |isbn=966-7090-06-X |series=Zodiak-eko |location=Kyiv |trans-title=Geography of Ukraine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dnieper.org/category/50|title=Website about Dnieper|access-date=6 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221114212/http://www.dnieper.org/category/50|archive-date=21 February 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>Mishyna, Liliana. ''{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304072120/http://www.hydrography.com.ua/uf/File/Publicat/vd013.009.pdf Hydrographic research of Dnieper river]}}''. Derzhhidrohrafiya.</ref> of which {{convert|485|km|mi|abbr=on}} are within Russia, {{convert|700|km|mi|abbr=on}} are within Belarus,<ref name=statistics /> and {{convert|1095|km|mi|abbr=on}} are within Ukraine. Its basin covers {{convert|504000|km2|mi2}}, of which {{convert|289000|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} are within Ukraine,<ref name="EoU">{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?AddButton=pages\D\N\DnieperRiver.htm |title=Dnieper River |access-date=19 January 2007 |last=Kubiyovych |first=Volodymyr |author-link=Volodymyr Kubiyovych |author2=Ivan Teslia |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Ukraine }}</ref> {{convert|118360|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} are within Belarus.<ref name=statistics />

The source of the Dnieper is the sedge bogs (Akseninsky Mokh) of the Valdai Hills in central Russia, at an elevation of {{convert|220|m|abbr=on}}.<ref name="EoU"/> For {{convert|115|km|mi|abbr=on}} 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.{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}}<ref>[http://www.baarnhielm.net/~gorbaa/Kartor/Rysslandskartor/Rysslandskartor.htm Sigismund von Herberstein places 'Oczakow' (today's "Ochakiv") on the coast of the Black Sea (Ponti Evxini) in his 1549 map.]''www.baarnhielm.net'' {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090917063113/http://www.baarnhielm.net/~gorbaa/Kartor/Rysslandskartor/Rysslandskartor.htm |date=17 September 2009 }}</ref>

The southernmost point in Belarus is on the Dnieper to the south of Kamaryn in Brahin Raion.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://landofancestors.com/travel/statistics/geography/235-coordinates-of-the-extreme-points-of-the-state-frontier.html |title = Main Geographic Characteristics of the Republic of Belarus. Coordinates of the extreme points of the state frontier |website = Land of Ancestors |publisher = The Scientific and Production State Republican Unitary Enterprise "National Cadastre Agency" of the State Property Committee of the Republic of Belarus |year = 2011 |access-date= 20 September 2013 }}</ref>

===Tributaries=== {{main|Dnieper basin}} The Dnieper has as many as 32,000 tributaries, with 89 being rivers greater than {{convert|100|km}} in length.<ref name="splendid">[https://web.archive.org/web/20150704120723/http://www.ukrinform.ua/ukr/news/rozkishniy_dnipro_nemae__rivnoii_yomu_riki_2070837 Splendid Dnieper. There is no straighter river]. Ukrinform. 4 July 2015</ref> The main tributaries are, from its source to its mouth, with left (L) or right (R) bank indicated:{{citation needed|date=November 2025}}

{{div col|colwidth=10em}} * 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) {{div col end}}

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.{{citation needed|date=November 2025}} The water resources of the Dnieper basin compose around 80% of the total for all Ukraine.<ref name="splendid"/>

===Rapids=== thumb|Rapids at Dnieper in 1915 thumb|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.{{clarify|date=April 2018}} The route was probably established in the late 8th and early 9th centuries and gained importance from the 10th until the early part of the 11th 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 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 Dnipro – Donbas Canal; *The Dnipro – Kryvyi Rih Canal; *The Kakhovka Irrigation System (including Kakhovka Canal, SE Kherson Oblast); *The Krasnoznamianka Irrigation System (SW Kherson Oblast); *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.<ref name="Benson">{{cite web|last=Benson|first=AJ|title=Dreissena rostriformis bugensis Andrusov, 1897 |trans-title= |url=https://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?speciesid=95|work=Nonindigenous Aquatic Species|publisher=United States Geological Survey|access-date=2 May 2014}}</ref> The mussel has been accidentally introduced around the world, where it has become an invasive species.<ref name="Benson"/>

=== Delta === thumb|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 Dnieper–Bug estuary.{{cn|date=April 2026}}

==Ecology== Nowadays the Dnieper River suffers from anthropogenic influence resulting in numerous emissions of pollutants.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=V. |last1=Snytko |first2=V. |last2=Shirokova |first3=N. |last3=Ozerova |first4=O. |last4=Romanova |first5=A. |last5=Sobisevich |url=https://istina.msu.ru/download/72648647/1dtpjo:9hv28p6sdrCFiJq4csV-mv7yymA/ |title=Hydrological situation of the Upper Dnieper |journal=GeoConference SGEM |year=2017 |volume=17 |issue=31 |pages=379–384 }}</ref> 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.{{cn|date=April 2026}}

==Navigation== Almost {{convert|2000|km|abbr=on}} of the river is navigable (to the city of Dorogobuzh).<ref name="splendid"/> 90% of river transport in Ukraine occurs on the Dnieper,<ref>{{cite web |title=Україна: транспорт |url=https://vue.gov.ua/%D0%A3%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%97%D0%BD%D0%B0:_%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%82 |publisher=Great Ukrainian Encyclopedia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722053830/https://vue.gov.ua/%D0%A3%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D1%97%D0%BD%D0%B0:_%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%82 |archive-date=22 July 2024 |language=uk |date=2 April 2022 |trans-title=Ukraine: Transport}}</ref> however, its overall contribution to total transport is less than 0.5%.<ref>{{cite web |title=Transport of Ukraine. 2021: Statistical Publication |url=https://www.ukrstat.gov.ua/druk/publicat/kat_u/2022/zb/10/zb_Transpot.pdf |publisher=State Statistics Service of Ukraine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240702050027/https://www.ukrstat.gov.ua/druk/publicat/kat_u/2022/zb/10/zb_Transpot.pdf |archive-date=2 July 2024 |page=35 |date=2022}}</ref> Its reservoirs have large ship locks, allowing vessels of up to {{convert|270|x|18|m|ft}} access as far as the port of Kyiv, and thus are an important transportation corridor.{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}} 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.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pcnavigo.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051109123915/http://www.noordersoft.com/indexen.html |url-status=dead |title=PC-Navigo – Dé routeplanner voor de binnenwateren |trans-title=PC-Navigo – The route planner for inland waterways |archive-date=9 November 2005 |website=PC Navigo}}</ref> River navigation is interrupted each year by freezing and severe winter storms.

==Reservoirs and hydroelectric power== {{main|Dnieper reservoir cascade}} {{Location map+|Ukraine|relief=1|width=300|label=Dams and hydroelectric stations in the Dniepr.|places= {{Location map~|Ukraine|lat_deg=50|lat_min=35|lat_sec=18|lat_dir=N|lon_deg=30|lon_min=30|lon_sec=44|lon_dir=E|label=Kyiv HES}} {{Location map~|Ukraine|lat_deg=49|lat_min=46|lat_sec=00|lat_dir=N|lon_deg=31|lon_min=28|lon_sec=18|lon_dir=E|label=Kaniv HES}} {{Location map~|Ukraine|lat_deg=49|lat_min=04|lat_sec=39|lat_dir=N|lon_deg=33|lon_min=15|lon_sec=02|lon_dir=E|label=Kremenchuk HES}} {{Location map~|Ukraine|lat_deg=48|lat_min=32|lat_sec=53|lat_dir=N|lon_deg=34|lon_min=32|lon_sec=29|lon_dir=E|label=Middle Dnieper HES|position=left}} {{Location map~|Ukraine|lat_deg=47|lat_min=52|lat_sec=09|lat_dir=N|lon_deg=35|lon_min=05|lon_sec=13|lon_dir=E|label=Dnieper HES}} {{Location map~|Ukraine|lat_deg=46|lat_min=46|lat_sec=34|lat_dir=N|lon_deg=33|lon_min=22|lon_sec=17|lon_dir=E|label=Kahkovka HES†}} }} From the mouth of the Pripyat to the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Station, there are six sets of dams and hydroelectric stations, which produce 10% of Ukraine's electricity.<ref name="splendid"/> The Kakhovka dam was destroyed on 6 June 2023 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine,<ref name="ISW_6June2023">{{cite Q|Q119224855|url-status=live}}</ref> 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 the Great Meadow.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65963403|title=Ukraine dam: Satellite images reveal Kakhovka canals drying up|date=22 June 2023|website=BBC}}</ref>

The first constructed was the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station (or DniproHES) near Zaporizhzhia, built between 1927 and 1932 with an output of 558 MW.<ref>{{cite book |title=Milestones in Glasnost and Perestroyka: Politics and people |first1=Edward A. |last1=Hewett |first2=Victor H. |last2=Winston |publisher=Brookings Institution |year=1991 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DX_sAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Stalin%27s+industrialization%2C+the+famous+Dnieper%22 |page=19 |quote=The importance of Chernobyl' for Soviet industry is best illustrated by comparing it to the key energy project of Stalin's industrialization, the famous Dnieper hydroelectric station, completed in 1932. The largest European hydroelectric station of its time, it had a capacity of 560 MW.|isbn=9780815736240 }}</ref> It was destroyed during World War II, but was rebuilt from 1944–1950 with an output of 750 MW, supplying {{nowrap|3.5 billion kWh}} of electricity annually.<ref>{{cite web|date=27 May 2020 |title=Історія Дніпровської ГЕС: проєктування, будівництво, відновлення та сьогодення |url=https://uhe.gov.ua/media_tsentr/novyny/istoriya-dniprovskoi-ges-proektuvannya-budivnictvo-vidnovlennya-ta-sogodennya |trans-title=History of Dniprovska HPP: design, construction, restoration and present |website=Ukrhydroenergo |language=uk |access-date=23 April 2026}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" |- ! Location !! Dam !! Reservoir area !! Hydroelectric station !! Date of construction |- |Kyiv||Kyiv Reservoir||{{convert|922|km2|mi2|disp=or|abbr=on}}||Kyiv Hydroelectric Station||1960–1964 |- |Kaniv||Kaniv Reservoir||{{convert|675|km2|mi2|disp=or|abbr=on}}||Kaniv Hydroelectric Station||1963–1975 |- |Kremenchuk||Kremenchuk Reservoir||{{convert|2250|km2|mi2|disp=or|abbr=on}}||Kremenchuk Hydroelectric Station||1954–1960 |- |Kamianske||Kamianske Reservoir||{{convert|567|km2|mi2|disp=or|abbr=on}}||Middle Dnieper Hydroelectric Power Plant||1956–1964 |- |Zaporizhzhia||Dnieper Reservoir||{{convert|420|km2|mi2|disp=or|abbr=on}}||Dnieper Hydroelectric Station||1927–1932; 1944–1950 |- |Kakhovka||Kakhovka Reservoir||{{convert|2155|km2|mi2|disp=or|abbr=on}}||Kakhovka Hydroelectric Station†||1950–1956 |- |}{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}}

==Regions and cities== thumb|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 |} <gallery caption="The Dnieper River in different regions"> File:Dorogobuzh.jpg|The Dnieper River in Dorogobuzh, Russian Empire, before 1917 File:Dnieper River from Kryukivs'kyi bridge in Kremenchuk, Ukraine.jpg|The Dnieper River in Kremenchuk, Ukraine File:Above Dnieper river video from helicopter - 2004.ogv|The Dnieper river in Ukraine from a helicopter, 2004 </gallery>

===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 * Bykhaw, Belarus * Rahachow, Belarus * Zhlobin, Belarus * Rechytsa, Belarus * Vyshhorod, Ukraine * '''Kyiv''', Ukraine *Ukrainka, Ukraine *Pereiaslav, Ukraine * Kaniv, Ukraine | * '''Cherkasy''', Ukraine * Svitlovodsk, Ukraine * '''Kremenchuk''', Ukraine * Horishni Plavni, Ukraine * '''Kamianske''', Ukraine * '''Dnipro''', Ukraine * '''Zaporizhzhia''', Ukraine * Marhanets, Ukraine * '''Nikopol''', Ukraine * Enerhodar, Ukraine * Kamianka-Dniprovska, Ukraine * Kakhovka, Ukraine * Nova Kakhovka, Ukraine * '''Kherson''', Ukraine |}

Arheimar, a capital of the Goths, was located on the Dnieper, according to the Hervarar saga.<ref name=KERSHAW>{{cite web|url=http://www.home.ix.netcom.com/~kyamazak/myth/norse/kershaw/Kershaw1s-hervor-and-heithrek.htm |title=An English translation of Hervar saga by Kershaw |access-date=28 March 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060328125356/http://www.home.ix.netcom.com/~kyamazak/myth/norse/kershaw/Kershaw1s-hervor-and-heithrek.htm |archive-date=28 March 2006 }}</ref>

==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 the description of 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.

===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.<ref>{{YouTube|VE8UQgd756c|Victory Salute. Song of the Dnieper (1983)}}</ref>

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

===Music=== In 1941, the Soviet composer Mark Fradkin wrote "Song of the Dnieper" to the words of Yevgeniy Dolmatovsky.<ref>{{YouTube|suX4D_dkX2A|Kyiv Bandurist Capella – Song of the Dnieper}}</ref>

===Visual arts=== The Dnieper has been a subject for many artists over the centuries. <gallery mode="packed" heights="150px" style="text-align:left"> File:Plersch-Odjazd Katarzyny II z Kaniowa w 1787 roku.jpg|Jan Bogumi Plersz, ''Catherine II Leaving Kaniów in 1787'' ({{circa}} 1787), Borys Voznytsky Lviv National Art Gallery File:Archip Iwanowitsch Kuindshi 001.jpg|Arkhip Kuindzhi, ''Dnieper'' (1881), Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow) File:Arkhip Kuindzhi - Ночь на Днепре - Google Art Project.jpg|Arkhip Kuindzhi, ''Moonlit Night on the Dnieper'' (1882), Tretyakov Gallery File:Aivazovsky Ice on Dnipro.jpg|Ivan Aivazovsky, ''Ice in the Dnieper'' (1872), private collection StanislawskiJan.DnieprSzafirowy.1904.ws.jpg|Jan Stanisławski, ''Sapphire Dnieper''' (1904), National Museum in Kraków </gallery>

===Popular culture=== The Dnieper is one of the national symbols of Ukraine.<ref>''[http://www.ukrlib.com.ua/sochm/printout.php?id=75 Work on the subject Ukrainian national symbols]''. Library of Ukrainian literature.</ref> It is mentioned in the country's national anthem. Several historical geographical names relating to Ukraine include the name of the river, such as Dnieper Ukraine ({{Transliteration|uk|Naddniprianshchyna}}), Right-bank Ukraine, and Left-bank Ukraine. The Ukrainian cities of 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".<ref>"...the Zaporohjans whose name meant 'those who live beyond the cataracts'...", Henryk Sienkiewicz, ''With Fire and Sword'', chap. 7.</ref>

The folk metal band Turisas have a song called "The Dnieper Rapids" on their 2007 album ''The Varangian Way''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.turisas.com/site/releases/|title=Releases |work=www.turisas.com}}</ref>

==Notes== {{notelist}}

==References== {{reflist}}

==Sources== {{refbegin}} * {{cite journal |last=Bukharin |first=Mikhail Dmitrievich |author-link=:ru:Бухарин, Михаил Дмитриевич |date=2013 |title=Колаксай и его братья (античная традиция о происхождении царской власти у скифов |trans-title=Kolaxais and his Brothers (Classical Tradition on the Origin of the Royal Power of the Scythians) |language=ru |url=https://www.academia.edu/143362214 |journal=Аристей: вестник классической филологии и античной истории |volume=8 |issue= |pages=20–80 |doi= }} * {{Cite book |last1=Felecan |first1=Oliviu |last2=Bughesiu |first2=Alina |title=Names and Naming: Multicultural Aspects |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Names_and_Naming/Krg-EAAAQBAJ?hl= |publisher=Springer Nature |year=2021 |isbn=9783030731861 }} * {{cite book |editor-last1=Kolganova |editor-first1=G. Y. |editor-last2=Kullanda |editor-first2=S. V. |editor-link2=:ru:Кулланда, Сергей Всеволодович |editor-last3=Nemirovsky |editor-first3=A. A. |editor-link3=:ru:Немировский, Александр Аркадьевич |editor-last4=Petrova |editor-first4=A. A. |editor-last5=Safronov |editor-first5=A. V. |last=Kullanda |first=S. V. |author-link=:ru:Кулланда, Сергей Всеволодович |date=2013 |title=Иранский Мир II – I тыс. до н.э. Материалы международной научной конференции, посвященной памяти Эдвина Арвидовича Грантовского и Дмитрия Сергеевича Раевского. Выпуск VI |trans-title=Iranian World 2nd – 1st millennium BC. Proceedings of the International Scientific conference Dedicated to the Memory of Edwin Arvidovich Grantovsky and Dmitry Sergeevich Raevsky. Issue VI |chapter=Скифские этимологии |trans-chapter=Scythian Etymologies |url=https://www.academia.edu/5461605 |location=Moscow, Russia |publisher=Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences |pages=38–48 |isbn=978-5-892-82576-4 }} * {{cite book |editor-first1=Olivier |editor-last1=Reverdin |editor-link1=:fr:Olivier Reverdin |editor-first2=Giuseppe |editor-last2=Nenci |editor-link2=:it:Giuseppe Nenci |last=Harmatta |first=János |author-link=János Harmatta |date=1999 |title=Hérodote et les Peuples Non Grecs |trans-title=Herodotus and the Non-Greek Peoples |chapter=Herodotus, Historian of the Cimmerians and the Scythians |url=https://archive.org/details/herodoteetlespeu0035unse |chapter-url=https://www.e-periodica.ch/cntmng?pid=oac-001%3A1990%3A35%3A%3A381 |language=fr |location=Vandœuvres, Switzerland |publisher={{ill|Fondation Hardt pour l'étude de l'Antiquité classique|fr|Fondation Hardt}} |pages=115–130 |isbn=978-3-774-92415-4 }} {{refend}}

==Further reading== * {{Cite EB1911|wstitle= Dnieper | volume= 8 |last1= Kropotkin |first1= Peter Alexeivitch |author1-link= Peter Kropotkin| last2= Bealby |first2= John Thomas| page = 349 |short= 1|ref=none}}

==External links== {{commons}} * [https://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/display.asp?linkpath=pages%5CD%5CN%5CDniproRiver.htm Dnipro River] from the Internet Encyclopedia of Ukraine * [https://web.archive.org/web/20210203001301/http://www.dnieper.org/#googtrans/ru/en Welcome to the website about the Great Dnieper River!] from ''dnieper.org'' (in Russian) * Ukrainian government [https://charts.gov.ua/ua_dnipro.html navigational river charts of the Dnipro River] (in Ukrainian)

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