Nature is returning to parts of southern Ukraine flooded by the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, with plant life resurging after the environmental catastrophe a year ago. "It began to recover," says a botanist, standing among tall plants in formerly submerged area of Kherson. The massive Soviet-era dam was blown up in the early hours of 6 June 2023, pouring billions of litres of water downstream and flooding dozens of villages on the banks of the vast Dnipro river. But while vegetation is returning, the aftermath of the flooding is still visible with one fisherman along receded banks in Zaporizhzhia saying: "Let's hope that it will be recovered... some day." IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES