Northern Catherine Canal, abandoned canal in Kanava, Komi Republic, Russia

The Northern Ekaterininsky Canal runs 17.6 km through the Keltma hollow between the North Keltma and Dzhurich rivers, linking the Vychegda and Kama basins. Built 1785–1822, it was dug where the two upper courses come closest. Today the channel is silted, its banks collapsed and overgrown with birch, so in places it looks like a ditch a few metres wide filled with standing water.

Construction began in 1785 under Catherine II and was completed in 1822. The project closed officially in 1838, though merchants continued using it for decades afterward.

The canal is named after Empress Catherine II, and the village at its northern end is still called Kanava, Russian for 'ditch'. Local peasants built mill dams on the channel that held back enough water for boats to pass, crossing over the dams. In 1915 the canal was cleared using prisoner-of-war labour.

The canal lies in the Keltma hollow, surrounded by a belt of marshes 8 to 14 km wide, so the approach is on foot or by boat rather than by road. In 2007 members of the Perm Geography Club rowed its length, clearing logs and branches with chainsaws and axes. The bed is shallow and the banks have collapsed; the village of Kanava stands at the northern end.

Local Komi Zyryan merchants continued using this route during spring and fall high-water seasons well into the 20th century, long after its official closure. This practice reveals how vital the connection remained for regional trade networks.