Lake Donuzlav ( rus, Донузлав) also referred to as Donuzlav Bay is the deepest lakeOliferov, A.M.
Donuzlav (ДОНУЗЛА́В)
'. Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine. of

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...

() and biggest in Chornomorske Raion (). It is a protected landscape and recreational park of the

Autonomous Republic of Crimea The Autonomous Republic of Crimea, commonly known as Crimea, is a de jure autonomous republic of Ukraine encompassing most of Crimea that was annexed by Russia in 2014. The Autonomous Republic of Crimea occupies most of the peninsula,

. In practice it is no longer a lake but rather a

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a na ...

since 1961, when a sandy spit ( wide) separating it from the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

was dug out with a 200-metre width channel. The lake is as salty as the sea near its mouth but bottom springs make the water much more sweet near the head.

Overview

Donuzlav is well known for a top secret naval base that was established here in 1960s as the Soviet Crimean Naval Base. The base was particularly notable for housing

air-cushioned landing craft An air-cushioned landing craft, also called an LCAC ( landing craft, air cushioned), is a modern variation on the amphibious landing boat. The majority of these craft are small- to mid-sized multi-purpose hovercraft, also known as "over the bea ...

(). Following the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The dissolution of the Soviet Union, also negatively connoted as rus, Разва́л Сове́тского Сою́за, r=Razvál Sovétskogo Soyúza, ''Ruining of the Soviet Union''. was the process of internal disintegration within the Sov ...

, the base was passed to the

Armed Forces of Ukraine , imports = , exports = , history = , ranks = Military ranks of Ukraine , country=Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Збро́йні си́ли Украї́ни), most commonly know ...

and was one of the three main naval bases as the

Southern Naval Base (Ukraine) Southern Naval Base ( uk, Південна військово-морська база, Russian: Южная военно-морская база) was a naval base of the Armed Forces of Ukraine located in the town of Novoozerne (part of Yevpator ...

. After the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 the base was occupied by the Russian military that reinstated its previous name. Donuzlav is located in Chornomorske and Saky raions (districts) at the

Tarkhankut Peninsula The Tarkhankut Peninsula ( uk, Тарханкутський півострів, russian: Тарханкутский полуостров, ) is the peninsula which constitutes the western extremity of Crimea into the Black Sea. Its northern shore ...

as well as Yevpatoria Municipality. Donuzlav is one of several lakes located around the peninsula. It is separated from the

by a long sandbar that has a width of to . Donuzlav is connected to the sea by a ship channel. The length of Donuzlav is , a width is up to , an area of and a depth is up to . It has several small bays. Banks are high, steep, and winding. At separate parts of the lake, a wetland vegetation is common (i.e.

common reed ''Phragmites australis'', known as the common reed, is a species of plant. It is a broadly distributed wetland grass that can grow up to tall. Description ''Phragmites australis'' commonly forms extensive stands (known as reed beds), which may ...

cattail ''Typha'' is a genus of about 30 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. These plants have a variety of common names, in British English as bulrush or reedmace, in American English as reed, cattail, or punks, in ...

, others). In the upper portion of the lakes are located two dams for

fish farming upright=1.3, Salmon farming in the sea (mariculture) at Loch Ainort, Isle of Skye">mariculture.html" ;"title="Salmon farming in the sea (mariculture">Salmon farming in the sea (mariculture) at Loch Ainort, Isle of Skye, Scotland Fish farming o ...

, in the mid portion is a naval base. On the banks there is a wind-powered energy station with 53

wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year. ...

s. To the lake are headed several

gulch In xeric lands, a gulch is a deep V-shaped valley formed by erosion. It may contain a small stream or dry creek bed and is usually larger in size than a gully. Sudden intense rainfall upstream may produce flash floods in the bed of the gulch. ...

es (semi-dried streams) among which are Staryi Donuzlav, Donuzlav, Chernushka, and Burnuk.

Settlements

Novoozerne Novoozerne ( uk, Новоозерне; russian: Новоозёрное, translit=Novoozyornoye; crh, Novoozörnoye) is an urban-type settlement in the Yevpatoria municipality of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, a territory recognized by a majo ...

, Yevpatoria Municipality *

Myrnyi Myrnyi ( uk, Мирний; russian: Мирный, translit=Mirnyi; crh, Mirnıy) is an urban-type settlement in the Yevpatoria municipality of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, a territory recognized by a majority of countries as part of Ukrain ...

, Yevpatoria Municipality * Ozerivka, Chornomorske Raion * Krasnoyarske, Chornomorske Raion

Crimean crisis

On 5 March 2014, during the Crimean crisis of 2014, Russian sailors scuttled two Russian

Black Sea Fleet Chernomorskiy flot , image = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Great emblem of the Black Sea fleet , dates = May 13, ...

vessels, the anti-submarine ship and the rescue

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...

''Shakhter'', at the entrance to Donuzlav Bay to prevent Ukrainian Navy ships from accessing the

Overview

Settlements

Crimean crisis

See also

References

Further reading