Largest Lakes in Russia

The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, also described as the world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it is situated in both Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia, south of the fertile plains of Southern Russia in Eastern Europe, and north of the mountainous Iranian Plateau. It covers a surface area of 371,000 km2 (143,244 sq mi) (excluding the highly saline lagoon of Garabogazköl to its east), an area similar to Japan, with a volume of 78,200 km3 (19,000 cu mi). It has a salinity of approximately 1.2% (12 g/L), about a third of the salinity of average seawater. It is bounded by Kazakhstan to the northeast, Russia to the northwest, Azerbaijan to the southwest, Iran to the south, and Turkmenistan to the southeast. The name of the Caspian Sea is derived from the ancient Iranic Caspi people.

The lake stretches 1,200 km (750 mi) from north to south, with an average width of 320 km (200 mi). Its gross coverage is 386,400 km2 (149,200 sq mi) and the surface is about 27 m (89 ft) below sea level.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Caspian Sea (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Lake Baikal is a rift lake and the deepest lake in the world. It is situated in southern Siberia, Russia, between the federal subjects of Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Republic of Buryatia to the southeast.

At 31,722 km2 (12,248 sq mi)—slightly larger than Belgium—Lake Baikal is the world's seventh-largest lake by surface area, as well as the second-largest lake in Eurasia after the Caspian Sea. However, because it is also the deepest lake, with a maximum depth of 1,642 metres (5,387 feet), Lake Baikal is the world's largest freshwater lake by volume, containing 23,615.39 km3 (5,670 cu mi) of water or 22–23% of the world's fresh surface water, more than all of the North American Great Lakes combined. It is also the world's oldest lake at 25–30 million years, and among the clearest. It is estimated that the lake contains around 19% of the unfrozen fresh water on the planet.

Lake Baikal is home to thousands of species of plants and animals, many of them endemic to the region.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Lake Baikal (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Lake Ladoga is a freshwater lake located in the Republic of Karelia and Leningrad Oblast in northwestern Russia, in the vicinity of Saint Petersburg.

It is the largest lake located entirely in Europe, the second largest lake in Russia after Lake Baikal, and the 14th largest lake by area in the world. It is comparable in size to Lake Ontario. Ladoga Lacus, a methane lake on Saturn's moon Titan, is named after the lake.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Lake Ladoga (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Lake Onega (; also known as Onego; Russian: Оне́жское о́зеро, romanized: Onezhskoe ozero, IPA: [ɐˈnʲɛʂskəɪ ˈozʲɪrə]; Finnish: Ääninen, Äänisjärvi; Livvi: Oniegujärvi; Veps: Änine, Änižjärv) is a lake in northwestern Russia, on the territory of the Republic of Karelia, Leningrad Oblast and Vologda Oblast. It belongs to the basin of the Baltic Sea, and is the second-largest lake in Europe after Lake Ladoga, slightly smaller than Lebanon. The lake is fed by about 50 rivers and is drained by the Svir.

There are about 1,650 islands on the lake. They include Kizhi, which hosts a historical complex of 89 Orthodox churches and other wooden structures of the 15th–20th centuries. The complex includes a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Kizhi Pogost. The eastern shores of the lake contain about 1,200 petroglyphs (rock engravings) dated to the 4th–2nd millennia BC, which have also been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The major cities on the lake are Petrozavodsk, Kondopoga and Medvezhyegorsk.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Lake Onega (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Kuybyshev Reservoir or Kuybyshevskoye Reservoir (Russian: Куйбышевское водохранилище, romanized: Kuybyshevskoye vodokhranilishche) is a reservoir of the middle Volga and lower Kama in Chuvashia, Mari El Republic, Republic of Tatarstan, Samara Oblast and Ulyanovsk Oblast, Russia. It is sometimes called as Samara Reservoir and informally called Kuybyshev Sea. The Kuybyshev Reservoir has a surface area of 6,450 km² and a volume of 58 billion cubic meters. It is the largest reservoir in Europe and third in the world by surface area. The major cities of Kazan, Ulyanovsk, and Tolyatti are adjacent to the reservoir.

The reservoir was created by the dam of Zhiguli Hydroelectric Station (formerly, V.I. Lenin Volga Hydroelectric Station), located between the cities of Zhigulevsk and Tolyatti in Samara Oblast. It was filled in 1955–1957.

With the filling of the reservoir in the 1950s, some villages and towns were submerged by the rising water and were rebuilt on higher ground. These included the old fortress town of Stavropol-on-Volga, which was replaced by Tolyatti. One district of Ulyanovsk is below water level and is protected from the reservoir by an embankment.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Kuybyshev Reservoir (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Rybinsk Reservoir (Russian: Рыбинское водохранилище, romanized: Rybinskoye vodokhranilishche, IPA: [ˈrɨbʲɪnskəɪ vədəxrɐˈnʲilʲɪɕə]), informally called the Rybinsk Sea, is a water reservoir on the Volga River and its tributaries the Sheksna and Mologa, formed by Rybinsk Hydroelectric Station dam, located in the Tver, Vologda, and Yaroslavl Oblasts. At the time of its construction, it was the largest man-made body of water on Earth. It is the northernmost point of the Volga. The Volga–Baltic Waterway starts from there. The principal ports are Cherepovets in Vologda Oblast and Vesyegonsk in Tver Oblast.

The construction of the dam in Rybinsk started in 1935. The filling of the reservoir started on April 14, 1941, and continued until 1947. Some 150,000 people had to be resettled elsewhere, and the historic town of Mologa in Yaroslavl Oblast along with 663 villages completely disappeared under water. Today the dam is less important for hydroelectric power supply (output is 346 MW) than it used to be.

Yurshinsky Island is located at south end of the reservoir at the mouth of the Volga River. It is about 3.5 km long and 2.5 km wide.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Rybinsk Reservoir (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Lake Taymyr (Russian: Таймыр, Таймырское озеро, romanized: Taymyr, Taymyrskoye ozero) is a lake of the central regions of the Taymyr Peninsula in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russian Federation. It is located south of the Byrranga Mountains.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Lake Taymyr (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Lake Khanka (Russian: озеро Ханка) or Lake Xingkai (simplified Chinese: 兴凯湖; traditional Chinese: 興凱湖; pinyin: Xīngkǎi Hú), is a freshwater lake on the border between Primorsky Krai, Russia and Heilongjiang province, Northeast China (at 45°0′N 132°25′E).

Adapted from Wikipedia: Lake Khanka (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Uvs Lake (Mongolian: Увс нуур [ˌʊɸs‿ˈnʊːr], ᠤᠪᠰᠤ ᠨᠠᠭᠤᠷ [ubsu naɣur]) is a highly saline lake, contained within the endorheic basin named after it—Uvs Nuur Basin. It is primarily located in Mongolia, with a smaller part in Russia. It is the largest lake in Mongolia by surface area, covering 3,350 km2 at 759 m above sea level. The northeastern tip of the lake is situated in the Tuva Republic of the Russian Federation. The largest settlement near the lake is Ulaangom. This shallow and very saline body of water is a remainder of a huge saline sea which covered a much larger area several thousand years ago.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Uvs Lake (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Tsimlyansk Reservoir or Tsimlyanskoye Reservoir (Цимля́нское водохрани́лище) is an artificial lake on the Don River in the territories of Rostov and Volgograd Oblasts at 47°50′N 42°50′E. Completed in 1952, the reservoir is one of the largest in Russia, providing power (Tsimlyansk hydroelectric power station) and irrigation to the Rostov and Volgograd regions. Crops grown around the lake include wheat, rice, cotton, maize, alfalfa, fruit, grapes, and vegetables.

The reservoir, together with the Volga–Don Canal and the lower course of the Don, provides an important waterway between the Volga River / Caspian Sea basin and the Sea of Azov. The Tsimlyansk Dam also provides flood control for the lower Don River basin.

Completion of the lake resulted in strong local industrial growth. In particular, the city of Volgodonsk owes its existence to the Tsimlyansk Dam project.

Under the waters lies the ancient Khazar fortress town of Sarkel.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Tsimlyansk Reservoir (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Lake Peipus (; Estonian: Peipsi-Pihkva järv, IPA: [ˈpei̯psʲi ˈpihkʋɑ ˈjærʋ]; Russian: Чудско-Псковское озеро or Псковско-Чудское озеро) is the largest trans-boundary lake in Europe, lying on the international border between Estonia and Russia.

The lake is the fifth-largest in Europe after Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega (in Russia), Lake Vänern (in Sweden), and Lake Saimaa (in Finland).

It covers 3,555 km2 (1,373 sq mi), and it has an average depth of 7.1 m (23 ft), the deepest point being 15 m (49 ft). The lake has several islands and consists of three parts:

Lake Peipus (Estonian: Peipsi järv, Russian: Чудское озеро), the northern part of the lake, with an area of 2,611 km2 (1,008 sq mi) (73%)

Lake Pskov (Estonian: Pihkva järv, Russian: Псковское озеро), the southern part of the lake (area 708 km2 (273 sq mi) or 20%)

Warm Lake (Estonian: Lämmijärv, Russian: Тёплое озеро), the sound connecting the other two parts of the lake (area 236 km2 (91 sq mi) or 7%).

The lake is used for fishing and recreation, but suffered from environmental degradation from Soviet-era agriculture. Some 30 rivers and streams discharge into Lake Peipus, the two largest of which are the Velikaya and Emajõgi.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Lake Peipus (CC BY-SA 4.0).

The Syvash or Sivash (Ukrainian and Russian: Сиваш; Crimean Tatar: Sıvaş, Сываш, lit. 'dirt'), also known as the Putrid Sea or Rotten Sea (Russian: Гнилое Море, romanized: Gniloye More; Ukrainian: Гниле Море, romanized: Hnyle More; Crimean Tatar: Çürük Deñiz), is a large area of shallow lagoons on the western edge of the Sea of Azov. Separated from the sea by the narrow Arabat Spit, the water of the Syvash covers an area of around 2,560 km2 (990 sq mi) and the entire area spreads over about 10,000 km2 (3,900 sq mi). The Henichesk Strait is its eastern connection to the Sea of Azov. The Syvash borders the northeastern coast of the main Crimean Peninsula. The central and eastern Syvash were registered as wetlands of Ukraine under the Ramsar Convention. Since the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the entire Syvash has been occupied by Russia.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Syvash (CC BY-SA 4.0).

The Kama Reservoir, also known as the Perm Reservoir (Russian: Камское водохранилище, Пермское водохранилище), is a reservoir formed by the dam of the Kama Hydroelectric Station near Perm (constructed in 1954-1956). The Kama Reservoir has a surface area of 1,915 km2 and a water volume of 12.2 cubic km. Its length along the Kama is 272 km, major width - up to 30 km, average depth - 6.3 m (with maximum depth equaling 30 m). The Kama Reservoir was created to facilitate transportation, hydroelectric generation, and water supply. It is also used for seasonal flow regulation. The cities of Perm, Dobryanka, Chyormoz, Berezniki, Usolye, and Solikamsk are located on the shores of the Kama Reservoir.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Kama Reservoir (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Lake Chany (Russian: озеро Чаны, Siberian Tatar: Цана күл, romanized: Tsana kül) is a lake in Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia. The lake extends across five districts of Novosibirsk Oblast: Zdvinsky, Barabinsky, Chanovsky, Kupinsky and Chistoozyorny.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Lake Chany (CC BY-SA 4.0).

The Krasnoyarsk Reservoir, known also as the Krasnoyarsk Sea, is an artificial lake that was created by the construction of the Krasnoyarsk Dam. It is one of the largest artificial reservoirs in the world. In Russia, it now ranks second (after the Bratsk Reservoir).

The top point of the reservoir is located near the town of Abakan, at the confluence of the Yenisei River with the Abakan River. Its lower point is the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station dam. The distance from the top point to the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric power station is about 250 kilometers (160 mi), but the total length of the reservoir is much more, 388 kilometers (241 mi). Its width at its widest points is 15 kilometers (9.3 mi). The elevation of the water is 243 meters (797 ft) above sea level.

The reservoir is fed by some large rivers, including the Tuba, Sisim, and Syda rivers on the right bank, and the Biryusa River on the left bank. The confluences where the rivers flow directly into the dammed Yenisei are now bays created by the reservoir. The most significant of them are formed by the Tubin, Syda, Karasug, Sisim, Durbin, and Biryusinsk rivers.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Krasnoyarsk Reservoir (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Lake Kovdozero (Russian: Ковдозеро) is a large freshwater lake in the southern Murmansk Oblast, northwestern part of Russia. There are many islands in the lake. The hydroelectric power plant was built in 1955, thus transforming the lake to the dam. The surface area of Kovdozero has risen from 224 to 294 km2 to 608 km2. Many rivers empty into Kovdozero and it flows to the White Sea through the river Kovda. There are also 580 islands located throughout Kovodozero, each varying in size and topography. The lake is used to fishery, water transport and timber rafting.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Lake Kovdozero (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Lake Vygozero (Russian: Выгозеро, romanized: Vygozero; Finnish: Uikujärvi) is a large freshwater lake in the Republic of Karelia, in the northwestern part of Russia. It has an area of 1,250 km2 (480 sq mi), and is part of the Vyg drainage in the White Sea basin.

From 1933, it has been a part of the White Sea–Baltic Canal. There are more than 500 islands on the lake. Vygozero is used for its fishing. The Upper Vyg and Segezha empty into the lake.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Lake Vygozero (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Saratov Reservoir (Russian: Саратовское водохрани́лище) is an artificial lake in the lower part of the Volga River in Russia. It was formed by the dam of the Saratov Hydroelectric Station situated in the city of Balakovo. Filling of the reservoir started in 1967 and finished the year after. The uppermost point of the reservoir is situated in Tolyatti, it stretches through Samara and Saratov oblasts. The city of Samara and the Volga's Samara Bend are situated on the reservoir. The namesake city of Saratov is situated downstream from the dam.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Saratov Reservoir (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Cheboksary Reservoir is an artificial lake in the central part of the Volga River formed by the Cheboksary Dam in Novocheboksarsk.

The surface area of Cheboksary Reservoir is 2,190 square kilometres (850 sq mi), max width is 16 kilometres (9.9 mi), max depth is 35 metres (115 ft). The reservoir has partly flooded the Mari Depression.

The largest cities on the Reservoir are Nizhny Novgorod, Cheboksary and Kozmodemyansk.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Cheboksary Reservoir (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Gorky Reservoir (Russian: Го́рьковское водохрани́лище), known colloquially as Gorky Sea (Russian: Го́рьковское мо́ре), is an artificial lake in the central part of the Volga River in Russia, formed by a hydroelectric dam of Gorky Hydroelectric Station (now called Nizhny Novgorod Hydroelectric Station) built in 1955 between the towns of Gorodets and Zavolzhye and filled in 1955 – 1957. It spans for 430 km from the dam of Rybinsk to the dam of Gorodets through Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Ivanovo and Nizhny Novgorod oblasts of Russia. While it is relatively narrow and follows the natural riverbed of Volga in the upper part, it becomes up to 16 km wide downstream the town of Yuryevets.

The reservoir takes its name from the former name of the city of Nizhny Novgorod (actually situated some fifty kilometers downstream the dam), which was called Gorky during the Soviet period. An industrial town of Zavolzhye was built on the right bank of the Volga along with the construction of the dam.

The filling of the reservoir resulted in the relocation of a number of villages and towns, such as Chkalovsk.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Gorky Reservoir (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Votkinsk Reservoir is a reservoir formed by the dam of the Votkinsk Hydroelectric Station on the Kama River in Perm Krai, Russia. Besides electricity generation, the reservoir also facilitates navigation and water supply. The town of Chaikovsky is located on the reservoir.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Votkinsk Reservoir (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Lake Beloye or White Lake (Russian: Бе́лое о́зеро, IPA: [ˈbʲɛləjə ˈozʲɪrə]; Veps: Vaugedjärv, Valgjärv, lit. 'white lake') is a lake in the northwestern part of Vologda Oblast in Russia. Administratively, the lake is divided between Belozersky District (south) and Vashkinsky District (north) in the oblast. The town of Belozersk is located on its coast. In terms of area, Lake Beloye is the second largest natural lake of Vologda Oblast (behind Lake Onega), and the third largest lake also behind the Rybinsk Reservoir. It is one of the ten biggest natural lakes in Europe.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Lake Beloye (Vologda Oblast) (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Novosibirsk Reservoir or Novosibirskoye Reservoir (Russian: Новосиби́рское водохрани́лище), informally called the Ob Sea (Обско́е мо́ре), is the largest artificial lake in Novosibirsk Oblast and Altai Krai, Russian Federation. It was created by a 33 m high concrete dam on the Ob River built in Novosibirsk. The dam, built in 1956, provides a water reservoir for generating hydroelectric power via Novosibirsk Hydroelectric Station.

The reservoir is 200 km long and up to 17 km wide. Its area is 1,070 km2 and its volume is 8.8 km3 (at normal water level). Its average depth is 8.3 m. The design hydroelectric power output is 460 MW, the average energy production is 1,687 GWh per year. The normal water level (the level of active storage) is 113.5 meters, the maximum water level (the level of flood control storage) is 115.7 meters, the minimum water level (the level of dead storage) is 108.5 meters

The Karakan Pine Forest is situated on the eastern coast of the reservoir, while most of the towns and villages are situated on the western coast. The larger towns bordering the reservoir are Novosibirsk (Akademgorodok quarter, ObGES), Kamen-na-Obi and Berdsk.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Novosibirsk Reservoir (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Lake Topozero (Russian: Топозеро, Finnish: Tuoppajärvi) is a large freshwater lake in the Republic of Karelia, northwestern part of Russia. It has an area of 986 square kilometres (381 sq mi) long, and a drainage basin of 3,530 square kilometres (1,360 sq mi). It is 75.3 km long and 30.3 km wide. Maximum depth is about 50 m. There are more than 100 islands on the lake. Topozero is used for fishery and timber rafting. Its primary outflow is the Kovda, which is also called Sofyanga in its first stretch from Lake Topozero to Lake Pyaozero. The Kovda flows to the White Sea.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Lake Topozero (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Imandra (Skolt Sami: Âʹvverjäuʹrr, Russian: Имандра, Finnish: Imantero) is a lake in the south-western part of the Kola Peninsula in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, slightly beyond the Arctic Circle. It is located 127 m above sea level; its area is about 876 km2, maximum depth is 67 m. The shape of the shore line is complicated. There are a number of islands and the largest, Erm Island, measures 26 km2. There are three principal parts of the lake connected by narrow straits: Greater Imandra (Большая Имандра) or Khibinskaya Imandra in the north (area 328 km2, length about 55 km, width 3–5 km), Ekostrovskaya Imandra in the centre (area 351 km2), and Babinskaya Imandra in the west (area 133 km2). The lake drains into the Kandalaksha Gulf of the White Sea by the Niva River. The lake is known for the transparency of its water and its abundance of fish.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Lake Imandra (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Lower Kama Reservoir or Nizhnekamsk Reservoir (Russian: Нижнекaмское водохрани́лище; Tatar: Түбән Кама сусаклагычы) is the lowest reservoir from the Kama River hydroelectric cascade. It is situated in Tatarstan, Udmurtia, Bashkortostan and Perm Krai, Russian Federation. The reservoir was filled in 1978-81 up to 62 m above sea level after the construction of dam of the Lower Kama Hydroelectric Station. The water level in reservoir depends on the upper reservoirs regime (Kama Reservoir and Votkinsk Reservoir). The Lower Kama Reservoir has a surface area of 1,084 km² and a volume of 2.8 billion cubic meters. Its length along Kama is 185 km and 157 km along Belaya. The reservoir also used for water supply, irrigation and fishing.

The planned level of the reservoir is 68 m above sea level. Tatarstan government announced plans to reach the full planned power of the electric station. However, ecological movement inside of Tatarstan opposes these plans, as the reservoir would flood Kulyagash wetland and other lands in that case.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Nizhnekamsk Reservoir (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Lake Engozero (Russian: Энгозеро, Finnish: Enkijärvi) is a large freshwater lake in the Republic of Karelia, Russia. It has an area of 122 km2 (without islands), length of 36.4 km, width of 7.9 km and a maximum depth of 18 m. There are 144 islands with total area of 14 km2 on the lake.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Lake Engozero (CC BY-SA 4.0).

The Vistula Lagoon is a brackish water lagoon on the Baltic Sea roughly 90 kilometres (56 mi) long, 10 to 24 kilometres (6 to 15 mi) wide, and up to 5 metres (17 ft) deep, separated from the Gdańsk Bay by the Vistula Spit. It is split between Poland and Russia (Kaliningrad exclave).

Adapted from Wikipedia: Vistula Lagoon (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Ivankovo Reservoir or Ivankovskoye Reservoir (Russian: Иваньковское водохранилище), informally known as the Moscow Sea, is the uppermost reservoir on the Volga, in Moscow and Tver Oblasts of Russia, located some 130 km (81 mi) north of Moscow. The dam of the reservoir is situated in the town of Dubna. The town of Konakovo is located on its southern coast. The reservoir is connected to the Moskva by the Moscow Canal, and is the principal fresh water source for the city of Moscow. Its area is 327 km2 (126 sq mi), and the area of its drainage basin is 41,000 km2 (16,000 sq mi).

Ivankovo Reservoir is covered by ice between mid-November and mid-April. The water level fluctuates during the year: It dramatically increases after the ice melting, and then stabilizes until January.

The reservoir includes the lower course of the Shosha, its right tributary, the Lama, and the Soz. It is subdivided into three bays (plyoses): The Ivankovo Bay, in the northeast, downstream of the mouth of the Shosha; the Volga Bay, in the northwest, along the Volga upstream of the mouth of the Shosha, and the Shosha Bay, in the west, along the lower course of the Shosha.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Ivankovo Reservoir (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Uglich Reservoir or Uglichskoye Reservoir (Russian: У́гличское водохрани́лище) is an artificial lake in the upper part of the Volga River formed by the Uglich Hydroelectric Station dam.

It was built in 1939 in the town of Uglich. It is located in Tver and Yaroslavl Oblasts in central Russia.

Adapted from Wikipedia: Uglich Reservoir (CC BY-SA 4.0).