In 1941, as the troops of Nazi Germany swept through Ukrainian territory like a whirlwind, Stalin's secret services blew up a hydroelectric dam in the south of Zaporizhzhia to hinder or deter them. The partial collapse of the dam flooded several villages on the banks of the Dnieper, killing thousands of civilians. While Europe marks the Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism on 23 August, residents of Zaporizhzhia hope that the tragedy which took place in their city and the surrounding area will become more widely known. During the years of the Second World War and the Stalin era, Ukraine suffered extensive losses in terms of both people and cultural heritage.