[4] Leskov is located 60 kilometres (37 mi) southwest of Zavodovski Island, west of the main volcanic arc.

[8] Leskov Island has a harsh climate, with rough seas and poor weather,[9] rendering it difficult to access.

[11] Its highest point is 190 metres (620 ft)[12] and it has a semicircular shape with the blunt end to the southwest and Crater Bay on the northeastern side.

[14] At its northern end sits Bowsprit Point, a northeast-trending peninsula that rises steep from the sea and which delimits another smaller bay to the north.

[16][17] The southern and western sides of the island feature a terrace separated by two cliffs reaching heights of 60 metres (200 ft),[18] with gullies cutting into the slopes.

[13] The submarine slopes on the eastern and southeastern side show traces of underwater mass failures.

[20] Leskov Island is formed by lava[14] and tuffs,[5] the ground covered with blocks,[10] lapilli, talus and volcanic ash.

[10] Leskov Island lacks permanent ice,[22] owing to its low altitude,[23] but there is evidence of solifluction.

[30] Fumaroles form complex vents, fissures and cracks, mostly on the summit ridge, the steep eastern slope of the island[29] and in shallow water east of Leskov.

[33] The composition of the volcanic rocks is largely uniform[21] and defines a calc-alkaline[34] two-pyroxene andesite suite, an uncommon chemistry in the South Sandwich Islands.

[38] Algae,[39] liverworts and mosses grow on Leskov Island, often on hot ground[40] and close to fumaroles.