The key facts

  • In September, near Khortytsia Island, a boat about a thousand years old, a Bronze Age antler, Scythian ceramics, a Byzantine amphora, and an 18th-century anchor were found.
  • The dam of the Kakhovka HPP (built in the 1950s, reservoir area about 2,155 sq. km) was destroyed on June 6, 2023; about 18 cubic km of water caused a flood.
  • More than 100 Ukrainian organizations are seeking the inclusion of Velykyi Luh on the UNESCO World Heritage List; the government and Ukrhydroenergo are preparing a dam restoration project.

Finds near Khortytsia

In September, a group of archaeologists conducted research on the Dnipro near Khortytsia Island close to Zaporizhzhia, continuing their work despite ongoing hostilities approximately 45 kilometers away. During the expedition, researchers discovered a Bronze Age deer antler that was used for applying patterns to clay or leather items, a fragment of ceramics presumably belonging to the Scythians, part of a Byzantine amphora, and an 18th-century anchor. The most unusual find was a wooden boat made from a single tree trunk: it had spent about a thousand years in the water and was well preserved. Earlier, ancient vessels, including 18th-century warships, had already been found in this area.

What was exposed after the dam's destruction

The Kakhovka dam was built in the 1950s; the reservoir's area was about 2,155 square kilometers. On June 6, 2023, the dam, 30 meters high and about 3 kilometers long, was destroyed. About 18 cubic kilometers of water rushed down the Dnipro, causing a massive flood, the inundation of settlements, and a humanitarian crisis. When the water receded, a vast territory that had been underwater for decades was exposed — Velykyi Luh, where meadows, swamps, islands, and forests had been located before the dam was built. Over three years, nature began to recover: trees, grass, and other plants appeared on the former bottom, but scientists also found toxic heavy metals there.

Archaeological discoveries on the exposed territory

Archaeologists, among the first to explore the exposed territory in the summer of 2023, said that what they saw amazed them: where water had previously been, ancient riverbeds, islands, and land plots appeared. The researchers discovered remains of settlements, house foundations, old roads, and objects from various historical epochs — from the Neolithic to the 20th century.

Dispute over the territory's future

More than 100 Ukrainian public organizations supported the proposal to include Velykyi Luh on the UNESCO World Heritage List due to its historical and natural value. Supporters of preserving the territory sent a letter to UNESCO and appealed for support to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. However, there are also advocates of restoring the dam, since the reservoir was used for irrigating agricultural land in the south of the country. After the destruction, the government, together with the state company Ukrhydroenergo, began preparing a project to restore the dam after the end of the war. Archaeologists emphasize the need to continue research: in their opinion, the territory of the former Kakhovka reservoir makes it possible to study the history of the region, hidden underwater for decades.