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The Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) is widespread bird on the territory of Karelia. It is more numerous in the northern part of Karelia near the White Sea. There are a few data on parasites of the Red-breasted Merganser. Therefore, any information about their parasites is very important. The first data on the parasitic nematodes of Mergus serrator in Karelia were obtained. Totally 6 bird specimens were collected during spring hunting season of 2013 (3 specimens) and the autumn hunting season of 2015 (3 specimens) on the south-eastern coast of Lake Ladoga. Five nematode species were identified. Larvae of two species – Eustrongylides mergorum and Contracaecum rudolphii – develop in the fish, which is the main food source of the merganser. Both nematode species were rare in birds. The developmental cycles of the nematodes Streptocara crassicauda and Tetrameres fissipina are associated with invertebrates (freshwater crustaceans and scuds); also different fish serves as their paratenic host. The S. crassicauda species is the most common and numerous among the merganser parasites. The nematode Pseudocapillaria mergi has a direct development cycle. The parasite of this species was found in all investigated birds. All nematodes of the Red-breasted Merganser identified in our study are the typical parasites of these birds species, as well as widespread in the Palearctic.