Dnepr

The Dnepr, or Dnieper in Ukrainian and in some other languages, is a major river in Eastern Europe. It rises in the Valdai Hills of Russia and flows generally southwest through Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine before emptying into the Black Sea. Lengths commonly cited place it around 2,140 kilometers (1,330 miles). The river passes through significant cities such as Minsk and Kyiv and functions as an important transportation route, water source, and ecological corridor. A cascade of hydroelectric stations along the Dnepr provides electricity to parts of the region and supports flood control and irrigation. The river basin has long been part of the trade route known as the from the Varangians to the Greeks, linking northern and Mediterranean civilizations and shaping regional history and development. Tributaries such as Desna, Prypiat, and Berezina, along with reservoirs and floodplains, compose the broader Dnepr basin.

Name and transliteration: In Russian and several other languages, the river is rendered as Dnepr or Dnieper, while in Ukrainian it is commonly referred to as Dnipro. The name has also been applied to other, unrelated uses. For example, a space launch vehicle derived from the Soviet SS-18 intercontinental ballistic missile was named Dnepr and used to place small satellites into orbit. In addition, Dnepr is the brand name of motorcycles produced in Kyiv, Ukraine, based on older European designs, produced during the Soviet era and later.