Border zone. Since 2023, access to the northern part of the lake district requires a permit from the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
Shatsk Lakesreference guide · svityaz.lutsk.ua
The southern shore of Lake Moshne, with reeds and water lilies in the shallows
51.5931, 23.9169

Shatsk lake district

Lake Moshne

Мошне

3 m
Maximum depth
2 m
Average depth
0.36 km²
Surface area
0.724 million m³
Water volume

Verified dataset

Key facts

Moshne is the oldest lake of the Shatsk group, its age estimated at about 9,800 years. A relict dystrophic water body with brown, barely transparent water, it is open only to scientific study.

Status: Strictly protected zone of Shatsk National Nature Park (access for scientific research only)

Area
0.36 km²
Maximum depth
3 m
Average depth
2 m
Shoreline
2.2 km
Hydrochemistry

Water chemistry

Transparency
≈0.6 m
Trophic state
dystrophic (a residual lake)

Ichthyofauna

Fish of the lake

All species →

Invasive species

Brown bullhead

Ecosystem

Flora and birds

Birds

mallardcommon pochardcommon goldeneyecommon gullswan

What to know

Lake in detail

  • The oldest lake in the group at about 9,800 years; according to O. F. Yakushko, the peat beneath its sapropel dates to 10,060 ± 120 years.
  • A relict dystrophic lake: it silts up and overgrows continuously, turning into a bog.
  • The water is distinctly brown from humic acids, with a transparency of only 0.5–0.7 m.
  • Two kilometres north of Pisochne and a few hundred metres from the border with Belarus.
  • The official profile names nine fish species directly; the dwarf catfish is matched to the invasive brown bullhead Ameiurus nebulosus.
  • A retrospective scientific review reports 14 species for Moshne without giving the full lake list, so only the nine attested by name have profiles here.
  • In the strictly protected zone all recreational and economic activity is prohibited, except research.
  • Shallow and overgrown — winter ice cover can bring suffocating fish kills; the lake's sapropel is acidic (pH 5.43), which is rare for the group.

Rank in the group

#12by area · of 30
#12by depth · of 27
Area against Svitiaz, the largest lake0.36 of 26.2 km²

Each measure counts only the lakes that report it.

Geography and access

Places nearby

All places →

village

Melnyky

Melnyky is a village beside Lake Pisochne and a key base in the eastern part of the Shatsk lake district. It connects routes to Pisochne, Krymne, Moshne and several smaller lakes.

Open profile →

Language note

Editorial scope

This English profile carries the full narrative, chronology and local traditions. Source titles stay in their original language, and the Ukrainian page remains the reference version.

Read the Ukrainian profile →

Sources

Source titles are retained in their original language.

Photo: Viacheslav GalievskyiCC BY-SA 4.0cropped