Not long ago, there was water here. A vast reservoir that covered riverbeds, meadows, old trees, villages, and their memory. But in 2023, when Russia destroyed Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant’s dam, the water receded. Over 2,000 square kilometers turned into a desert. And then, suddenly, saplings began to sprout.

It happened as a coincidence: the dam was destroyed during the season when willows and poplars scatter their seeds via dander. So billions of seeds fell into the soil and sprouted.

Then, came the birds. Then hares, roe deer, foxes, and even wild boars. A place that had been under water for more than half a century suddenly became 150,000 hectares of forest.

And this is not just a green area on the map. This is our history. The Great Meadow — that was once the name for the vast river floodplains stretching from Khortytsia all the way to Kakhovka. Here stood the Sich. Here the Cossacks ruled. Here there was freedom, liberty, and bustling life.

The land remembers what it once was. And it finds a way to return.