Kharkiv (river)

The Kharkiv or Kharkov (Ха́рків, Харьков) is a river in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, a left tributary of the Lopan. It originates from the town of Oktyabrsky in Belgorod Oblast, Russia and it falls into Lopan in the city of Kharkiv.

The river Kharkiv may have given the city of Kharkiv its name. The river is also known as a place for people who enjoy cold-water swimming known as morzhei or "walruses" to swim.

History
In the 17th century, Ukrainian Cossacks led by I. Karkach built a fortified settlement on the plateau surrounded by the Kharkiv River and the Lopan River.

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in 2024, a Russian attack on a nearby oil depot on February 9 leaked oil into the river and nearby Nemyshlia river, contaminating it.