One of Ukraines worst ecological disasters in recent years is now the site of a remarkable natural transformation, according to ecologists.

The Kakhovka Reservoir on the Dnieper River in Ukraines Kherson region spilled into dozens of villages, causing widespread flooding and scores of deaths on June 6, 2023, as the result of explosions atop a crucial dam.

Investigations have concluded that Russian troops likely placed the explosives, causing flooding to hinder a planned Ukrainian counteroffensive to the Russian invasion, although the Kremlin denies the charge.

Two years after the disaster, despite the vast damage to downstream areas, especially farmland, the ground that once stood under 4.5 meters of water is showing signs of rapid transformation into willow and poplar woods, according to Mykhaylo Mulenko of the Khortytsia National Reserve, which oversees the area.

Where I'm standing was underwater, Mulenko recently told RFE/RL as he walked through a dense thicket of saplings growing over his head. Here everything happens naturally and is overgrown with those plants that were characteristic of this territory.

Nearby, water lilies have been growing despite a lack of water, he added.

The forest is actually very dense. If you go deep into these thickets, you get lost -- its really hard to keep your sense of direction.

Flora and fauna have both been returning to the site, he said.