Two years ago, in the early hours of June 6, 2023, the Kakhovka Dam was partially destroyed, flooding nearby towns and cities in southern Ukraine — including in Russian-controlled territory. As the reservoir, which provided water for the nearby hydroelectric station, spilled into the surrounding lowlands, Ukraine and Russia traded accusations over the dam's destruction.

After the water receded, the exposed basin underwent a dramatic transformation, initially drying out and becoming a desert. Today, lush vegetation has taken over, home to a wide variety of wildlife.

The Dnipro River — Ukraine's largest — has once again formed vast floodplains, similar to those that were there before the dam was first built in the 1950s. Ecologist Vadym Maniuk told DW that the Dnipro has many tributaries in the area.

Much of what happens in the floodplain landscape is hidden from view, he said, but streams like these are all along the river.

"They can be fast-flowing streams, or narrow or wider ones, resembling ponds. All these labyrinths existed before the area was flooded to build the dam," he said.

Birdsong interrupts the babbling of the many brooks, as Maniuk spots a sea eagle. "Just seeing........

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