Baksan River, also known as Azau (Russian: Баксан, Азау) is a river in Kabardino-Balkaria in Russia. It flows east northeast and joins the Malka River just before that river joins the northwest bend of the Terek River. The Baksan is 173 kilometres (107 mi) long, with a drainage basin of 6,800 square kilometres (2,600 sq mi). The Baksan originates in the glaciers of the Elbrus.