Oskol

Oskol 

a river in Kursk and Belgorod oblasts, RSFSR, and in Kharkov Oblast, Ukrainian SSR. A left tributary of the Severskii Donets (Don basin), the Oskol is 472 km long and drains an area of 14,800 sq km. It rises in the Central Russian Upland and flows southward. The Krasnooskol Reservoir is located in its lower reaches.

The river is fed primarily by snow. High water lasts from the end of March until the beginning of May. The mean flow rate 9.5 km from the mouth is 44.2 cu m per sec. The river freezes in November or early December, and the ice breaks up in March or early April. The Oskol is used for water supply. The Krasnooskol hydroelectric power plant is 12 km from the river’s mouth. The cities of Staryi Oskol, Novyi Oskol, and Kupiansk are on the river.