Lighthouses of Russia: Eastern Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov

Russia (Россия, Rossiya in Russian) is by far the world's largest country, spanning a little over 150° in longitude. It is organized as the Russian Federation (Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) with members known as federal subjects (sub'yekty federatsii). Russia is primarily a continental nation but it has important coastlines on the Baltic, Black, and Caspian Seas and very long coastlines on the Arctic Ocean and North Pacific Ocean. To guard these coasts it operates hundreds of lighthouses, many of them historic.

Through its outlet to the Mediterranean the Black Sea has long provided a southern maritime connection for Russia. Following the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991 and Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 the Russian Black Sea coast is now in two sections separated by the Kerch Strait. Between the two sections the Kerch Strait connects the Black Sea to the much smaller basin of the Sea of Azov. At the northeastern corner of the Sea of Azov Taganrog Bay extends eastward to the delta of the Don River. This page includes lighthouses on the east side of the Kerch Strait and on the Sea of Azov and Taganrog Bay. Lighthouses on the west side of the Strait are described on the Eastern Crimea page.

The principal port in this region is Taganrog city on Taganrog Bay but another port is under development at Taman at the eastern entrance to the Kerch Strait. In addition, from Taganrog Bay there is an important connection through the lower Don River and the Volga-Don Canal to Russia's vast inland waterway system.

The Russian word for a lighthouse is mayak (маяк); ostrov is an island, poluostrov is a peninsula, kosa is a sandy spit, rif is a reef, mys is a cape, bukhta is a bay, zaliv is a larger bay or gulf, proliv is a strait, reka is a river, and gavan' is a harbor.

Russian lighthouses are owned by the Russian Navy and maintained by the Office of Navigation and Oceanography (Управление навигации и океанографии).

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. RU numbers, where available, are from the Russian Black Sea light list (publication 2217). Admiralty numbers are from volume N of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals and U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 113.

General Sources
Online List of Lights - Black Sea - Russia and Ukraine
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas. The Admiralty has Kerch Strait lights under Ukraine. Many photos from this area are by Capt. Peter Mosselberger ("Capt. Peter").
Lighthouses in Krasnodar Krai
Photos by various photographers available from Wikimedia.
World of Lighthouses - Black Sea Coast of Russia
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Russische Leuchttürme auf historischen Postkarten
Historic postcard images posted by Klaus Huelse.
GPSNauticalCharts
Navigational chart information for the Kerch Strait.
Navionics Charts
Navigation chart for the Sea of Azov.

Taganrog Light
Taganrog Light, Taganrog, January 2012
ex- Panoramio photo copyright alexey65536
used by permission

Krasnodar Krai (Kuban) Lighthouses

Krasnodar Krai (Krasnodar Territory, also called Kuban) is a large member of the Russian Federation including the western end of the Caucasus Mountains and the mountainous region along the Black Sea coast known historically as Circassia. This area was added to Russia in a long series of conflicts ending in 1864. Russian lighthouses of the Black Sea coast in Krasnodar Krai are described on the Eastern Black Sea page.

Temryuksky District: Southern Taman Peninsula Lighthouses
The Taman Peninsula is bordered by the Black Sea on the south, the Kerch Strait on the west, and the Sea of Azov on the north. Taman Bay is a broad but shallow inlet of the Kerch Strait, indenting the end of the peninsula.
Yantarnyy
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 30 m (98 ft); white flash every 10 s. Approx. 10 m (33 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower, painted black. Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located atop a bluff about 15 km (9 mi) east of the entrance to the Kerch Strait. Site status unknown. Admiralty N5616.5; NGA 18940.
Mys Zheleznyy Rog
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 72 m (236 ft); white light, 1.5 s on, 1.5 s off. 16 m (52 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower, painted black, with gallery and a small lantern. The tower also carries a black slatted daymark. Google has a good street view (a portion is seen at right) and a satellite view. Trabas has a very distant view by Capt. Peter. This light marks the entrance to the Kerch Strait for vessels westbound along the Black Sea coast. Located on a promontory near Volna, about 8 km (5 mi) east of the entrance to the Kerch Strait. Site status unknown. ARLHS ERU-310, Admiralty N5616; NGA 18436.
Port Taman Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 30 m (98 ft); continuous (?) red light. Approx. 25 m (82 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower. Trabas has Capt. Peter's distant view and Google has a satellite view. Located at the new Taman port. Site and tower closed. Admiralty N5615.71.
Port Taman Morskoy Terminal (Leading)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 30 m (98 ft); continuous (?) green light. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) round tower carrying a daymark colored white with a red vertcal stripe. Trabas has Capt. Peter's very distant view from the sea, Mark Tlen has a view from the land side, and Google has a satellite view. Located in the large oil terminal in Port Taman. Site and tower closed. Admiralty N5615.6.

Mys Zhelezny Rog Light, Volna, May 2013
Google Maps street view
Mys Panagiya Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 20 m (66 ft); green light, 2 s on, 2 s off. Approx. 16 m (52 ft) round tower with gallery painted white with a red vertical stripe. Trabas has Capt. Peter's distant view and Google has a satellite view. Located just offshore at an industrial port about 3 km (2 mi) northwest of Port Taman. Site and tower closed. Admiralty N5615.1.
Mys Panagiya Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane unknown; green light, 2 s on, 2 s off. Approx. 11 m (36 ft) round tower with gallery. Trabas has Capt. Peter's distant view and Google has a satellite view. Located in an industrial area about 800 m (1/2 mi) northeast of the front light. Site and tower closed. Admiralty N5615.2.
* [Mys Panagiya]
Date unknown. Active (?); focal plane 72 m (236 ft); red flash every 5 s. 8 m (26 ft) robust steel post painted red. Trabas has Capt. Peter's distant view and Google has a street view and a satellite view. The light appears abandoned in a 2009 photo by Andrey Skvortsov. Located atop Cape Panagiya, the east entrance to the Kerch Strait, just west of Port Taman. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5615; NGA 18440.
Tamanskiy Vykhodnoy Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 25 m (82 ft); white light, pattern unknown. Approx. 25 m (82 ft) round tower on a platform supported by piles; tower painted white with a black vertical stripe and carrying winglike white daymark panels. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo (also seen at right) but the light is not shown in Google's satellite view. This is the approach range for Port Taman. The front light is on a similar, much shorter tower. Located about 3 km (2 mi) southwest of Mys Panagiya. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Admiralty N5614.1.
* Taman (Tamamskiy)
Date unknown. Appears abandoned; listed with focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); green light, pattern unknown. Approx. 8 m (26 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower, painted black. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and Google has a street view, but the light is inconspicuous in Google's satellite view. Located on a bluff above the waterfront in Taman, a former fishing port on the south coast of Taman Bay. Site appears open, tower closed. Admiralty N5611.
* Sennaya Range Rear
Date unknown. Appears abandoned; listed with focal plane 15 m (49 ft); continuous red light. 12 m (39 ft) square skeletal tower, painted black. Google has a street view but the light is inconspicuous in Google's satellite view. The range guides (or guided) vessels to Sennoi, a town at the east end of Taman Bay; the bay is a shallow inlet on the east side of Kerch Strait extending east about 16 km (10 mi). Located in Mira Street in Sennoi. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5377.11.

Tamanskiy Vykhodnoy Range Rear Light, Taman
photo copyright Capt. Peter Mosselberger
used by permission

Temryuksky District: Northern Kerch Strait Lighthouses
(see also Eastern Crimea)
The Kerch Strait is the narrow passage connecting the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea. From 1991 to 2014 the strait formed part of the border between Ukraine and Russia, but since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 the strait is entirely under Russian control. The strait is about 65 km (40 mi) long and narrows to about 4500 m (2.8 mi) wide at its narrowest point. In its natural condition the strait is too shallow for modern vessels, but a dredged channel called the Kerch-Yenikale Canal allows ships with a draft of up to 8 m (26 ft) to navigate the strait. Russia has built the Crimean Bridge to connect Crimea to the Russian mainland; the road portion of the bridge opened in May 2018 and the rail portion opened in December 2019. At 18.1 km (11.2 mi) it is the longest bridge in both Russia and Europe.
Chuska (Chushkinskiy) Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 23 m (75 ft); continuous red light, intensified on the range line. 24 m (79 ft) square masonry tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. Pavel Zhigalov has a 2022 photo, a 2021 photo is available, Lightphotos.net has a closeup photo and Google has a satellite view. The range guides southbound vessels leaving the Sea of Azov and entering Kerch Strait. Located on a long sand spit southwest of Chuska and 370 m (1/4 mi) south of the front light. Probably accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS ERU-028; Admiralty N5378.1; NGA 18559.
* Chuska (Chushkinskiy) Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); continuous red light, intensified on the range line. 18 m (59 ft) square masonry tower with an octagonal masonry lantern room and gallery. Lighthouse painted white. The light is shown through a window halfway up the tower. A. Glebov's photo is at right, Lightphotos.net has a closeup photo, a 2021 photo is available, and Google has a satellite view. Located on a long sand spit southwest of Chuska. Site status unknown; there would be a view of this lighthouse from ferries crossing the strait from Port Kavkaz to Kerch. ARLHS ERU-027; Admiralty N5378; NGA 18558.
Port Kavkaz Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); continuous green light visible only on the range line. 14 m (46 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted black; lantern is gray. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo, Lightphotos.net has a photo of both range lights, and Google has a satellite view. Port Kavkaz was the traditional port for ferries crossing the strait; it is now being redeveloped and enlarged to handle large ships. Located on the waterfront at Port Kavkaz. Site and tower closed. Admiralty N5425.

Chuska Range Front Light, Port Kavkas, July 2015
ex-Panoramio photo copyright A. Glebov; permission requested
Port Kavkaz Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 18 m (59 ft); continuous green light visible only on the range line. 19 m (62 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted black; lantern is gray. Lightphotos.net has a photo of both range lights and Google has a satellite view. Located about 400 m (1/4 ft) southeast of the front light. Site and tower closed. Admiralty N5425.1.
* Tamanskiy Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 22 m (69 ft); white flash every 3 s. 21 m (69 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower, painted black. The tower carries a slatted daymark painted white with a red vertical stripe. Google has a street view and a satellite view. This range guides vessels northbound through the narrow northern section of the strait. Located beside the A290 highway on the long Chuska spit about 8 km (5 mi) north of Chuska. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5376; NGA 18552.
* Tamanskiy Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 60 m (197 ft); continuous white light. 43 m (141 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower. The tower carries a slatted daymark painted black with a red vertical stripe. Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo and Google has a street view and a satellite view. Located beside the A290 highway about 4 km (2.5 mi) east of Il'ich and 7 km (4.5 mi) northeast of the front light. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5376.1; NGA 18556.
* Mys Akhilleon (Akhileon, Akhileonskiy)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 63 m (207 ft); red light, 3 s on, 3 s off. 20 m (66 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower, painted black, with a small red lantern. Irina Permyakova has a 2020 closeup photo and Google has a street view and a satellite view. This light marks the northeastern entrance to the strait. Located on a headland about 1.5 km (1 mi) northeast of Il'ich. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ERU-312; Admiralty N5428; NGA 18936.
* Temryuk (Tyemryuk, Tjemruk) (3)
1957 (station established 1916). Active; focal plane 69 m (226 ft); white or red light, depending on direction, 1.5 s on, 6 s off. 14 m (46 ft) octagonal cylindrical tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. A Geocaching page for the lighthouse has its history and the photo at right, a 2021 view is available, Igor Muzyka has a distant view, Huelse has a postage stamp image, and Google has a street view and a satellite view. This lighthouse is close to the coastal highway but it is not easy to spot from a moving vehicle; perhaps for this reason photos are scarce. The original lighthouse, a 7.5 m (25 ft) cast iron tower, was destroyed when German troops captured the area in August 1942. A temporary wood tower was built in 1947. Temryuk is the district capital and a port of about 40,000 residents on the south shore of the Sea of Azov. Located atop dunes on the southeast side of the Sea of Azov about 13 km (8 mi) west northwest of Temryuk and 32 km (20 mi) east of the Kerch Strait entrance. Site appears open, tower closed. ARLHS ERU-068; Admiralty N5606; NGA 18928.
Port Temryuk Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); light characteristic unknown. Approx. 15 m (49 ft) tower carrying a slatted daymark painted white with a black vertical stripe. This light is visible at the water's edge in an aerial photo (1/3 the way down the page) of the port, and Google has a distant satellite view. Located at the rear of the dredged harbor of Port Temryuk, about 12 km (7.5 mi) east of the Temryuk lighthouse. Site and tower closed. Admiralty N5601.
Port Temryuk Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 22 m (72 ft); light characteristic unknown. Approx. 22 m (72 ft) tower carrying a slatted daymark painted white with a black vertical stripe. Google has a very distant street view and Bing has a satellite view. Located about 1 km (0.6 mi) southeast of the front light. Site and tower closed. Admiralty N5601.1.

Temryuk Light, Temryuk
photo posted by Geocaching.su

Slavyansky District Lighthouse
Achuyev (Achuyevskiy)
Date unknown. Active (?); focal plane 16 m (52 ft); red flash every 3 s. 15 m (49 ft) iron skeletal tower "with hut," according to the NGA listing. Lighthouse painted black. No photo available, but the shadow of the tower is visible in Bing's satellite view. Located on the south side of the entrance to Sladkiy Bay, a lagoon on the southeastern shore of the Sea of Azov, near Sladkovskiy. Site status unknown. ARLHS ERU-321; Admiralty N5594; NGA 18904.

Primorsko-Akhtarsk District Lighthouse
* Akhtarskiy (Primorko-Akhtarsk) (2)
Date unknown (station established 1912). Inactive. 20 m (66 ft) octagonal cylindrical masonry tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white, lantern black. Large keeper's house and other light station buildings. A photo is at right, Nick Mamashin has a 2016 photo, Roman Belyy has a photo, Maksim Bobylev has a drone view, and Google has a good satellite view of the station. Endangered. A 2019 closeup shows the lighthouse is in poor condition and the active light (focal plane 26 m (85 ft); white light, 1.5 s on, 4.5 s off) has been moved to a skeletal tower: Trabas has Capt. Peter's photo. The first lighthouse had a focal plane of 17 m (56 ft). Located behind the beach about 6 km (4.5 mi) north of Primorko-Akhtarsk, on the central east coast of the Sea of Azov. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS ERU-010. Active light: Admiralty N5586; NGA 18896.

Yeysky District Lighthouses
Kamyshevatskaya (Kamyshevatskiy) (2)
2008 (station establishment date unknown). Active; focal plane 29 m (95 ft); white flash every 13 s. 15 m (49 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower with lantern and gallery painted black. Aleksey Litovchenko has a photo and a distant view and Bing has a satellite view. Located on a seaside bluff at Kamyshevatskaya on the northeast shore of the Sea of Azov. Site status unknown. Admiralty N5578; NGA 18880.
#Kamyshevatskaya (Kamyshevatskiy) (1)
Date unknown. Demolished in 2007. This was a 15 m (49 ft) round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white, lantern black. No photo available; Bing has a satellite view but Google's satellite view confirms the removal of the tower. Located about 600 m (0.4 mi) northwest of the active light. Site status unknown. ARLHS ERU-322.
Akhtarskiy Light
Akhtarskiy Light, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, 2010
ex-Panoramio photo copyright kar2zz; permission requested
* Yeysk Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 20 m (66 ft); red light, pattern unknown. Approx. 17 m (56 ft) black skeletal mast carrying a triangular black daymark. Google has a street view (also seen at right) and a satellite view. Yeysk is the district capital and a seaport of about 90,000 residents. The port is built on a spit on the west side of the mouth of the Yeysk River. Located about two blocks from the foot of harbor basin in Yeysk. Site status unknown but the tower can be seen from nearby streets. Admiralty N5522.
* Yeysk Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 30 m (98 ft); green light, pattern unknown. Approx. 25 m (82 ft) black skeletal mast carrying a round black daymark. Google has a street view and the shadow of the tower is seen in Google's satellite view. Located near the Yeysk River about 600 m (0.4 mi) southeast of the front light. Site status unknown but the tower can be seen from nearby streets. Admiralty N5522.1.
Ostrov Yeyskaya Kosa Range Front
Date unknown. Active (?); focal plane about 17 m (56 ft); white light, pattern unknown. Approx. 13 m (43 ft) slender skeletal tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on an island, a detached section of the Yeysk Spit, about 5 km (3 mi) northeast of the town. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Not listed by the Admiralty.
Ostrov Yeyskaya Kosa Range Rear
Date unknown. Active (?); focal plane about 25 m (82 ft); white light, pattern unknown. Approx. 25 m (82 ft) slender skeletal tower. Nikolay Sizonenko has a 2021 drone view and Google has a satellite view. The tower appears rusted and abandoned. Located about 300 m (0.2 mi) south of the front light. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Not listed by the Admiralty.
Sazal'Nikskiy
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 70 m (230 ft); light characteristic unknown. Approx. 25 m (82 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on steep bluff at Shabelskoye, a village on the south side of the Gulf of Taganrog about 35 km (22 mi) northeast of Yeysk. Site appers open, tower closed. Admiralty N5524.

Yeysk Range Front Light, Yeysk, February 2021
Google Maps street view

Rostov Oblast Lighthouses

Rostov Oblast is a member of the Russian Federation in the lower valley of the Don River. The lower Don is an important inland waterway of Russia, connected to the Volga River via the Volga-Don Canal. Lighthouses of the river and canal are described on the Volga, Kama and Don Waterways page.

Azovsky District (Don River Entrance) Lighthouses
Don River Approach Channel Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 19 m (62 ft); quick-flashing red light. 17 m (56 ft) square cylindrical tower with gallery and a small lantern. Tower painted black, lantern red. The tower also carries a slatted daymark painted black with a white vertical stripe. No photo available and Google has only a distant satellite view of the location. Located on a small island off the southern end of the Don delta, at the east end of the Gulf of Taganrog, about 20 km (13 mi) southeast of Taganrog and a similar distance downstream from the city of Azov. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5535.
Don River Approach Channel Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 27 m (89 ft); quick-flashing white light. 22 m (72 ft) square cylindrical tower with gallery and a small lantern. Tower painted black, lantern red. The tower also carries a slatted daymark painted black with a white vertical stripe. No photo available and Google has only a distant satellite view of the location. Located on a small island about 2.5 km (1.5 mi) east northeast of the front light. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5535.1.
Don River Entrance Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 17 m (56 ft); quick-flashing red light. 16 m (52 ft) square cylindrical tower with gallery and a small lantern. Tower painted black, lantern red. The tower also carries a slatted daymark painted black with a white vertical stripe. No photo available but Google has a satellite view and the shadow of the tower is seen in Bing's satellite view. Located on the north side of the river about 2.5 km (1.5 mi) from the Gulf of Taganrog. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5536.
Don River Entrance Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 31 m (102 ft); quick-flashing white light. 27 m (89 ft) square cylindrical tower with gallery and a small lantern. Tower painted black, lantern red. The tower also carries a slatted daymark painted black with a white vertical stripe. Google has the street view seen at right and an indistinct satellite view. Located on the south side of the river about 2 km (1.25 mi) east northeast of the front light. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5536.1.
 

Don Entrance Range Rear Light, Azovsky District, September 2019
Google Maps street view
 

Taganrog City and Neklinovsky District Lighthouses
Taganrog is an industrial center and seaport on the north side of Taganrog Bay (Taganrogskiy Zaliv), the lower estuary of the Don River, at the extreme northeastern corner of the Sea of Azov. The population of the city is about 260,000.
* Taganrog (2)
Date unknown (station established 1885). Active; focal plane 49 m (161 ft); white light, 1.5 s on,1.5 s off. 20 m (66 ft) round cylindrical tower with gallery. Lighthouse painted with red and white horizontal bands. A 2012 closeup is at the top of this page, Artuzik Artuzyan has a 2017 photo, a 2016 photo is available, and the tower is visible in a Google street view and the center of a Google satellite view. Huelse has a historic postcard view of the original lighthouse, which probably did not survive World War II. Lightphotos.net has another historic photo. Located in a park-like area on a bluff behind the port area in Taganrog. Site appears open, tower probably closed. ARLHS ERU-067; Admiralty N5540.
Taganrog Range Front
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); light characteristic unknown. Approx. 13 m (43 ft) round tower painted with black and white horizontal bands. Alexey Sergeev has a photo and Google has a satellite view. This is a final approach range for Taganrog harbor. Located on the north breakwater at Taganrog. Site and tower closed. Admiralty N5542.
Taganrog Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 22 m (72 ft); light characteristic unknown. Approx. 20 m (66 ft) skeletal tower. No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on the north quay at Taganrog, about 200 m (220 yd) north of the rear light. Site and tower closed. Admiralty N5542.1.
* Beglitskaya Kosa
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 20 m (66 ft); red flash every 6 s. 18 m (56 ft) square cylindrical tower with gallery and a small lantern. Lighthouse painted red, and a red slatted daymark covers the upper 2/3 of two sides of the tower. Chi No's photo is at right, Wikimapia has two photos, and Bing has a satellite view. The light station replaced a lightship station established in 1845. Located at the end of a sand spit extending into the Gulf of Taganrog at Beglitsa, about 25 km (15 mi) west of the city of Taganrog. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty N5526.

Beglitskaya Kosa Light, Beglitsa, June 2019
Google Maps photo by Chi No

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Volga and Don | Southeast: Eastern Black Sea | Southwest: Eastern Crimea | Northwest: Ukraine Sea of Azov

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Posted February 26, 2007. Checked and revised September 6, 2023. Lighthouses: 37. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.