The Moskva River, known in Russian as Moskva-reka, is a significant waterway flowing through western Russia, originating in the Sychiki area of Podmoskovye at an elevation of 246 meters, approximately 140 kilometers west of Moscow. Stretching 473 kilometers (or up to 502 kilometers by some measures) in length, it courses roughly eastward through the Smolensk and Moscow Oblasts, passing directly through the heart of central Moscow before joining the Oka River at Kolomna, about 110 kilometers southeast of the capital. This confluence links the Moskva to the broader Volga River system, ultimately draining into the Caspian Sea, with a drainage basin spanning 17,600 square kilometers and a vertical drop of 155 meters along its path. The river's hydrology features a maximum depth of 3 meters above Moscow city limits and up to 6 meters below, with water sources comprising 61% from snowmelt, 12% from rainfall, and 27% from subterranean flows; since the completion of the Moscow Canal in the 1930s, it has also received water from the Upper Volga, supporting an average discharge ranging from 38 cubic meters per second near Zvenigorod to 250 cubic meters per second at the Oka inlet, and enabling reliable commercial shipping despite seasonal variations in current speed from 0.1 to 2.0 meters per second. Typically freezing from November to late March, the river's urban stretch in Moscow rarely ices over due to contamination, and its absolute water level in downtown Moscow averages 120 meters above sea level, with a historical flood peak of 127.25 meters in 1908. Historically, the Moskva's current riverbed has been in use for about 12,000 years, serving as a vital origin point for both Finnic and Slavic tribes, including the Vyatichi, and contributing to the early settlement and development of the region. Its etymology, likely derived from the Proto-Balto-Slavic root *mŭzg- meaning "wet" or associated with wetlands and marshes, is thought to have inspired the name of the city of Moscow itself, with cognates in various languages linking it to concepts of moisture and immersion; alternative theories, such as Finno-Ugric origins suggesting "Black River," have been proposed but are less widely accepted. The river holds immense importance as the lifeline of Russia's capital, Moscow, where it supports drinking water supply from five stations, hosts 49 bridges including the historic Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge built in 1692, and flows 120–200 meters wide through the city, creating notable islands like Serebryany Bor, Tatarskaya Poyma (Mnyovniki), and Balchug Island via canals such as the Vodootvodny and Bypass. It also passes through towns like Mozhaysk, Zvenigorod, Zhukovsky, Bronnitsy, Voskresensk, and Kolomna, fostering recreation through river cruises on ice-breaker vessels and contributing to the cultural and economic fabric of the surrounding Podmoskovye region.