The city is 135 km north of the capital ChiÅ inÄ u , on the small river RÄ ut , a branch of the Dniester ( Nistru ) . It is located on a hilly landscape that , in the Middle Ages , was covered with forest , This forest has since been almost entirely cut down . It is situated 127 k north of the capital ChiÅ inÄ u , and is located on the river RÄ ut , a tributary of the Dniester , on a hilly landscape in the BÄ lÅ # i steppe .