Zaporizhzhia, a name that echoes through the annals of Ukrainian history, is synonymous with the legendary Zaporozhian Cossacks. These fierce warriors established their stronghold, the Sich, on the islands of the Dnieper River in the 16th century. The Cossacks were more than just soldiers—they were a democratic society, electing their leaders and fiercely defending their autonomy against Polish, Ottoman, and Russian empires.
The Khortytsia Island, now a national reserve, was the heart of this defiance. Here, the Cossacks crafted their famous Reply to the Ottoman Sultan, a vulgar yet poetic rejection of subjugation. This spirit of resistance still lingers in the region’s DNA.
By the 18th century, Catherine the Great saw the Cossacks as a threat. In 1775, she ordered the destruction of the Sich, scattering the Cossacks and absorbing their lands into the Russian Empire. The region was Russified, but the embers of Ukrainian identity never fully died.
Fast-forward to the 20th century, and Zaporizhzhia became a symbol of Soviet industrialization. The DniproHES hydroelectric dam, built in the 1930s, was a marvel of engineering—and a tool of propaganda. It powered the Zaporizhstal steel plant and other factories, turning the region into an industrial juggernaut.
But this progress came at a cost. The Holodomor, Stalin’s man-made famine, devastated Ukrainian peasants in the 1930s. Thousands in Zaporizhzhia starved as grain was seized to feed Soviet cities. The trauma of this genocide remains a wound in Ukraine’s collective memory.
During WWII, Zaporizhzhia was a battleground. The Nazis occupied the city in 1941, and the dam was blown up—by whom remains disputed (Soviet sabotage or German retreat?). The city was liberated in 1943, but not before enduring immense suffering. The war left scars, but also reinforced Ukrainian resilience.
Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, the Zaporizhzhia NPP, was built in the 1980s. It supplied Ukraine with critical energy, but in 2022, it became a flashpoint in Russia’s invasion. Occupied by Russian forces, the plant has been a constant danger—shelling risks a Chernobyl-scale disaster. The IAEA’s repeated warnings highlight the terrifying stakes.
Since 2022, Zaporizhzhia has been both a frontline and a refuge. Russian forces seized parts of the region, imposing brutal occupation. Yet the city of Zaporizhzhia remains under Ukrainian control, a hub for displaced civilians and military logistics.
The Kakhovka Dam destruction in 2023 further devastated the region, flooding villages and threatening the NPP’s cooling systems. Ecocide, war crimes, and nuclear peril—Zaporizhzhia embodies Ukraine’s fight for survival.
Despite the chaos, Zaporizhzhia’s cultural heritage endures. The Cossack Museum on Khortytsia Island still stands, a testament to Ukraine’s unbroken spirit. Folklore, music, and the bandura (a traditional instrument) keep the Cossack legacy alive.
As Ukraine fights for liberation, Zaporizhzhia’s fate hangs in the balance. Will it be rebuilt as a free Ukrainian region, or remain a contested zone? The answer lies not just in battlefields, but in the resilience of its people—the descendants of the Cossacks, who once again defy empires.