Yavas is an urban township in the Zubovo-Polyansky District of the Republic of Mordovia. It got the status of an urban township in April 1959.

The population of Yavas makes 7683 people (as of 2014).

It is located in the northern part of the Zubovo-Polyansky District on River Yavas surrounded with mixed coniferous-broad leaved forests.

It was founded in 1931 as the center of a quickly developing system of prisoners camps named Temlag (Temnikovsky Camp) and afterwards renamed into Dubravlag (Dubravny Camp).

The settlement keeps its role as one of the centers of penal system of Russia.