Daugava, also Western Severnaya Dvina (Russian Zapadnaya Severnaya Dvina), river in northeastern Europe, which rises in the Valday Hills in northwestern Russia and flows southwest to Vitsyebsk, a city in Belarus. It then flows northwest through Latvia, emptying into the Gulf of Rīga, near the city of Rīga. During normal weather conditions, the Daugava, which is 1,020 km (634 mi) long, has a maximum depth of about 12 m (about 40 ft); spring floods, however, cause the river to become as much as 17 m (55 ft) deep. Because of its rapids and shallows, the river is used mainly for floating timber. Hydroelectric power stations are east of Rīga. The Daugava is frozen from December through April.