Andrii Seletskyi stands on what was, until Tuesday morning, the bank of the Dnipro River and looks out at the water, continously receding. The young mayor’s town is 60 miles (97km) north-east and upstream of the now ruined Nova Kakhovka dam, and he does not know where the riverwaters will finally settle.
It is a prospect that would prompt many to despair. But not Seletskyi, even though last week’s events will bring a dramatic change in the geography and hydrology of his town, Novovorontsovka. As a student of history, he has been thinking ahead and sees opportunity amid the chaos.
