How does the Moscow Canal connect Moscow to the Volga River waterway system?

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Volga River The Dnieper, Don, and Volga river basins and their drainage network.

The Moscow Canal serves as a vital ship waterway that connects Moscow to the Volga River at Ivankovo, located north of the city.1

Constructed between 1932 and 1937, the 80-mile (128-km) canal replaced the canalized Moskva River as the primary water access route for Moscow, as the river was only suitable for small craft. The canal features 11 locks and maintains a minimum depth of 18 feet (5.5 m), allowing for more significant navigation and shortening the water journey to the industrial center of Nizhny Novgorod by 75 miles (120 km). By linking the capital directly to the Volga, the canal integrates Moscow into the broader Soviet Union inland waterway network, which facilitated navigation across major rivers like the Don and Dnepr.12