24 May 2026
(Photo: Oleksiy Vasylyuk)
Wildlife is rapidly reviving on the site of the former Kakhovka Reservoir, which was destroyed by Russian troops by blowing up the dam in June 2023. The territory of the legendary Velykyi Luh, which had been underwater for decades, is now turning into a unique natural forest.
According to TSN, scientists from Kyiv visited the area freed from water for the first time and were amazed at the scale of natural recovery.
According to Oleksiy Vasyliuk, chairman of the board of the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group, some trees have grown up to seven meters tall in three years.
The expedition worked in the frontline area under the threat of Russian drones. Despite the danger, the scientists were able to explore a part of the territory that until recently was the bottom of a reservoir.
"The forest is growing very actively. There are places where some trees dried up in 2023 due to the cold winter, but after that there was no more massive drying. Nature is recovering here at an incredible pace," Vasilyuk said.
According to the ecologist, the territory of the Velykyi Luh has already become a haven for hundreds of species of plants, insects and birds. The scientists were especially impressed by the huge number of nightingales.
"At night, their singing turns into a continuous multi-voiced noise. This is a real nightingale paradise," the researcher says.
At present, there are still few large animals in Velykyi Luh because the thickets are too dense even for human movement. At the same time, small animals and birds are actively populating the new forest.
Scientists note that the area of natural regeneration exceeds two thousand square kilometers. Most of the former reservoir is now covered with a young forest of willows and poplars.
Environmentalists emphasize that the uniqueness of Velykyi Luh is that nature has recovered on its own, without human intervention. According to Vasyliuk, this is one of the most powerful natural processes of revival that modern humanity can witness with its own eyes.
As Intent recently wrote, scientists have discovered Red Book plants and dozens of species of rare birds on the territory of the former Kakhovka Reservoir. The researchers emphasize that after Russian troops blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam, a new unique ecosystem is rapidly forming on the site of the reservoir.
Earlier, ecologists reported that a unique forest of young willow trees covering more than 65,000 hectares was formed at the bottom of the former Kakhovka reservoir. The tallest trees have already reached a height of five meters, demonstrating a record growth rate due to rich black soil and favorable climatic conditions.
On the night of June 6, Russians blew up the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. At least 34 people were killed and 28 others were injured. Almost 40 people are missing. People and pets have been evacuated from 3 flooded areas.
Int'l correspondent Albina Karman reported on the evacuation of people from the flooded areas.
Андрій Колісніченко