Medvezhye, Salt lake in Kurgan Oblast, Russia

Medvezhye is a drainless salt lake in Petukhovsky District, Kurgan Oblast, on the Ishim Plain between the Tobol and Ishim rivers. Its surface covers 63.88 km² at 111 m above sea level. Two peninsulas, each with three steep-sloped ridges separated by salt marshes and channels, divide it into Bolshoye Medvezhye and Maloye Medvezhye. Maximum depth is 1.2 m, average 0.6 m.

The lake has long been valued by local communities for its mineral-rich water and therapeutic mud. This importance led to the construction of health facilities along its shores to serve visitors seeking treatment.

The lake lies in the interfluve of the Tobol and Ishim on the Ishim Plain, and its shores are home to the resort settlement Kurort Ozero Medvezhye and the village of Novoye Ilyinskoye. Sapropel mud from the lake bed is used to treat nervous, musculoskeletal and gynaecological conditions at the Medvezhye Ozero sanatorium on the northern shore of Bolshoye Medvezhye.

Two settlements, Kurort Ozero Medvezhye and Novoye Ilinskoye, serve as main access points to different areas of the lake. Visiting during warmer months offers better accessibility and more comfortable conditions for exploring the shoreline.

The lake's salinity reaches up to 360 g per litre, and its maximum depth is only 1.2 metres. In summer, brine shrimp (Artemia) multiply in large numbers and tint the water brown. Sapropel from the lake bed is used to treat nervous and musculoskeletal disorders and gynaecological conditions.