Ukraine’s ‘hero river’ helped save Kyiv. But what now for its newly restored wetlands?

Kyiv repelled Russian forces by opening a Soviet-era dam on the Irpin River. Now, ecologists hope Ukraine's newest wetlands can survive, or even thrive, after the war

There's an acrid smell in the air and an unsettling crunch underfoot as we step over the metallic black and gold detritus of war. Ahead of us, framed by tree branches amputated by tank shells and mortar fire, the sky is reflecting brilliantly on the shimmering flood waters.

After negotiating more than a dozen army checkpoints within the thick forests of Kyiv's outer boundary, we have reached the flooded village of Demydiv on the Irpin River and the long-lost wetland basin, which has returned after the dam was opened by Ukrainian troops defending the capital from Russian army units, and was later struck by a missile.

The newly restored wetland basin in Demydiv, Ukraine