Annually-laminated lake sediments (varves) are among the most reliable archives for high-resolution paleoenvironmental reconstruction. However, the Russian Plain has remained a gap in the global distribution of varve chronologies. This preliminary study presents the first Younger Dryas Early Holocene varve chronology from Lake Kasplya (western part of the Russian Plain). A 17.3 m sediment core (Kas-17) was retrieved in 2022, of which the 9.6–15.2 m interval revealed well-preserved biochemical varves. Thin-section microscopy and diatom identification confirmed the annual nature of laminations. Independent chronologies were developed through manual varve counting, and radiocarbon dating. The results indicate a floating varve chronology of 4745 ± 325 annual layers (with cumulative uncertainties of 6.84%), spanning ca. 12.1–7.4 ka BP. Anchoring to radiocarbon age-depth models demonstrates a high level of agreement, with discrepancies within 10%. This record from Lake Kasplya provides a high-resolution terrestrial archive for the Russian Plain and underscores the potential of similar lakes to provide varve-based reconstructions of paleoclimate.
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