Bryansk is a city and the administrative center of Bryansk Oblast, Russia, located southwest of Moscow. Population:

The first written mention of Bryansk was in 1146, in the Hypatian Codex, as Debryansk (appears variously as , and in other spellings). Its name is derived from "дъбръ", a Slavic word for "ditch", "lowland", or "dense woodland"; the area was known for its dense woods, of which very little remains today. Local authorities and archaeologists, however, believe that the town had existed as early as 985 as a fortified settlement on the right bank of the Desna River.