Donuzlav

Donuzlav
Донузлав, Doñuzlav
Donuzlav Lake near Novoozerne
map of Crimea
map of Crimea
Donuzlav
Location within Crimea
LocationCrimea
Coordinates45°20′24″N 33°00′36″E / 45.34000°N 33.01000°E / 45.34000; 33.01000
Donuzlav Lake on the map

Lake Donuzlav (Russian and Ukrainian: Донузлав, Crimean Tatar: Doñuzlav), also referred to as Donuzlav Bay, is the deepest lake of Crimea (27 m, 89 ft) and biggest in Chornomorske Raion (47 km2, 18 sq mi). It is a protected landscape and recreational park of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

The lake is as salty as the sea near its mouth but bottom springs make the water much less saline near the head.

Overview

Technically it is no longer a lake but rather a bay since 1961, when a 200-metre width canal was washed through the sandy peresyp separating it from the Black Sea, when the construction of a Soviet naval base [ru] started. The peresyp length is about 12 km (7.5 mi) with widths varying between 0.3 km (980 ft) to 1 km (3,300 ft).

Donuzlav is located in Chornomorske and Saky raions (districts) at the Tarkhankut Peninsula as well as Yevpatoria Municipality. Donuzlav is one of several lakes located around the peninsula.

The length of Donuzlav is 30 km (19 mi), its width is up to 8.5 km (5.3 mi), it covers an area of 42 km2 (16 mi2) and its depth is up to 27 m (89 ft). It has several small bays. Banks are high, steep, and winding. At separate parts of the lake, a wetland vegetation is common (featuring common reed, cattail, and others).

In the upper portion of the lakes are located two dams for fish farming; in the mid portion is a naval base. On the banks there is a wind-powered energy station (Sakska Wind Farm [ru]) with 53 wind turbines.

Several gulches (semi-dried streams) lead to the lake, among which are Staryi Donuzlav, Donuzlav, Chernushka, and Burnuk.

The Donuzlav recreational park [ru], with an area of 2,335 hectares, is in the northern part.

Settlements

Military bases

A mooring site of anti-submarine amphibious seaplanes and fighter ships of the naval base, 2006

Donuzlav was the location of the Crimean Naval Base [ru] of the Soviet Union. The base was particularly notable for housing air-cushioned landing craft (Zubr class). After the dissolution of the Soviet Union it was converted into the Southern Naval Base of Armed Forces of Ukraine.

On 5 March 2014, during the annexation of Crimea, Russian sailors scuttled two Russian Black Sea Fleet vessels, the anti-submarine ship Ochakov and the rescue tugboat Shakhter, at the entrance to Donuzlav Bay to prevent Ukrainian Navy ships from accessing the Black Sea and established the Russian naval base there, reinstating its previous name.

Early on 1 February 2024, Ivanovets, a Russian Tarantul-class corvette, was sunk in Lake Donuzlav after an attack by surface drones.

The Soviets also established the Donguzlav air base near the lake. It was decommissioned in 1995, but has been reused by the Russian military since the Russo-Ukrainian war.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Oliferov, A.M. Donuzlav (ДОНУЗЛА́В). Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine.
  2. 1 2 "Озеро Донузлав: интересные факты". Государственное автономное учреждение Республики Крым. October 17, 2022.
  3. ↑ Defence Express 05.03.2014
  4. ↑ "Large ASW Destroyer "Ochakov" - Project 1134B / Kara class". Flot.sevastopol.info. Retrieved 2014-04-23.
  5. ↑ "Спасательное буксирное судно "Шахтер" Черноморского Флота". Flot.sevastopol.info. Retrieved 2014-04-23.
  6. ↑ "В Крыму затоплен российский большой противолодочный корабль "Очаков" • Таймер". Timer.od.ua. Archived from the original on 2014-03-06. Retrieved 2014-04-23.
  7. ↑ "Military intelligence: Russian missile ship sunk off occupied Crimea". The Kyiv Independent. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  8. ↑ Greenall, Robert (1 February 2024). "Ukraine 'hits Russian missile boat Ivanovets in Black Sea'". BBC News. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  9. ↑ "Десятки российских вертолетов замечены вблизи озера Донузлав в Крыму – спутниковый снимок". Крым.Реалии (in Russian). 2022-02-15. Archived from the original on 2023-07-19. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  10. ↑ "Новые спутниковые снимки войск России в Крыму и у границ Украины". Азаттык Υналгысы. Archived from the original on 2023-07-19. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
  11. ↑ "Мапа російських військових об'єктів в Криму". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on 2023-07-19. Retrieved 2023-07-19.

Further reading