1996 Russian Third League

November 2025 Russian Third League 1996 1995 1997 The 1996 Russian Third League was the 3rd time competition on the fourth level of Russian football was professional. There were 6 zones with 102 teams starting the competition (6 were excluded before the end of the season). Zone 1 Overview Team Head coach FC Spartak Anapa Igor Zazroyev FC Venets Gulkevichi Anatoli Lyz FC Dynamo-d Stavropol FC Lokomotiv Mineralnye Vody Aleksandr Babayan FC Nart Cherkessk Nurbiy Lakhov FC Dynamo-Imamat Makhachkala Igor Korolyov FC Kuban-d Krasnodar FC Anzhi-2 Kaspiysk Aleksandr Reshetnyak FC Mozdok Vladimir Purikhov FC Astrateks Astrakhan Boris Bashkin FC Nart Nartkala Basir Nauruzov FC Derbent Romez Arzumanyan FC Kabardey-ZET Nizhny Cherek Aniuar Tkhazeplov FC Kommunalnik-Druzhba-d Maykop PFC Spartak-d Nalchik FC Beshtau Lermontov Dmitri Skryabin FC Uralan-d Elista FC Gofrokarton Digora Arsen Tsagolov Standings main WDL 5 PR SAN Spartak Anapa VGU Venets Gulkevichi DDS Dynamo-d Stavropol LMV Lokomotiv Mineralnye Vody NRT Nart Cherkessk DIM Dynamo-Imamat Makhachkala KDK Kuban-d Krasnodar A2K Anzhi-2 Kaspiysk MOZ Mozdok ASA Astrateks Astrakhan NNA Nart Nartkala DER Derbent KZNC Kabardey-ZET Nizhny Cherek KDM Kommunalnik-Druzhba-d Maykop SDN Spartak-d Nalchik BEL Beshtau Lermontov UDE Uralan-d Elista GDI Gofrokarton Digora 26 2 6 105 24 A 21 4 9 62 33 A 19 6 9 56 44 18 7 9 59 35 18 5 11 49 34 17 7 10 56 42 18 3 13 72 59 17 3 14 67 56 16 4 14 66 42 15 7 12 65 51 R 14 5 15 51 43 13 8 13 44 37 R 11 12 11 50 52 R 11 3 20 49 53 R 7 5 22 37 87 7 5 22 33 94 7 2 25 25 97 R 6 2 26 33 86 R green1 Promotion to Second League P P red1 Relegation to Amateur Football League R R R R R R complete RSSSF Notes. FC Uralan-d Elista were excluded from the league after playing 18 games and gaining 23 points. Opponents were awarded a win in the remaining games. They did not play in any national-level competitions in 1997. FC Gofrokarton Digora were excluded from the league after playing 29 games and gaining 20 points. Opponents were awarded a win in the remaining games. They played their first professional season. They did not play in any national-level competitions in 1997. FC Gekris Anapa renamed to FC Spartak. FC Dynamo Makhachkala renamed to FC Dynamo-Imamat. FC Kuban-d Krasnodar and PFC Spartak-d Nalchik played their first professional season. FC Anzhi-2 Makhachkala moved to Kaspiysk. FC Iriston Mozdok renamed to FC Mozdok. FC Astrateks Astrakhan and FC Derbent did not play in any national-level competitions in 1997. FC Spartak-2 Nartkala renamed to FC Nart. FC Kabardey-ZET Nizhny Cherek promoted from the Amateur Football League. They did not play in any national-level competitions in 1997. FC Druzhba-d Maykop renamed to FC Kommunalnik-Druzhba-d Maykop. They did not play in any national-level competitions in 1997. Top goalscorers 23 goals Gennady Korkin (FC Spartak Anapa) 21 goals Aleksandr Kamentsev (FC Venets Gulkevichi) 20 goals Azerbaijan Narvik Sirkhayev (FC Dynamo-Imamat Makhachkala) 19 goals Sultan Chochuyev (FC Kabardey-ZET Nizhny Cherek) Timur Zakirov (FC Spartak Anapa) 17 goals Andranik Babayan (FC Lokomotiv Mineralnye Vody) Aliyar Ismailov (FC Anzhi-2 Kaspiysk) 16 goals Eduard Khachaturyan (FC Mozdok) Yuri Takliyev (FC Nart Cherkessk) 15 goals Andrei Podgurskiy (FC Spartak Anapa) Zone 2 Overview Team Head coach FC Salyut-YuKOS Belgorod Aleksandr Kryukov FC Dynamo-Zhemchuzhina-2 Sochi Vladimir Aleynikov FC Avangard-Kolos Taganrog Boris Sinitsyn FC Spartak-Bratskiy Yuzhny Sergei Antonkin FC Kuban Slavyansk-na-Kubani Nikolai Smirnov FC Zvezda Gorodishche Sergei Mukovnin FC Lokomotiv Yelets Yuri Raznov FC Shakhtyor Shakhty Aleksandr Vyazov FC Niva Slavyansk-na-Kubani Oleg Ivanov FC Izumrud Timashyovsk Vyacheslav Ledovskikh FC Metallurg Krasny Sulin Viktor Shchirov FC Zhemchuzhina-d Sochi FC Dynamo Mikhaylovka Sergei Andreyev FC Rotor-d Volgograd FC APK Morozovsk FC Chernomorets-d Novorossiysk FC Rostselmash-d Rostov-on-Don FC Istochnik Rostov-on-Don Ivan Lyakh Standings main WDL 5 PR SYB Salyut-YuKOS Belgorod DZS Dynamo-Zhemchuzhina-2 Sochi AKT Avangard-Kolos Taganrog SBY Spartak-Bratskiy Yuzhny KSK Kuban Slavyansk-na-Kubani ZGO Zvezda Gorodishche LYE Lokomotiv Yelets SHS Shakhtyor Shakhty NSK Niva Slavyansk-na-Kubani ITI Izumrud Timashyovsk MKS Metallurg Krasny Sulin ZDS Zhemchuzhina-d Sochi DMI Dynamo Mikhaylovka RDV Rotor-d Volgograd AMO APK Morozovsk CDN Chernomorets-d Novorossiysk ROD Rostselmash-d Rostov-on-Don 24 5 3 73 22 A 23 3 6 90 42 A 18 6 8 53 29 R 17 5 10 55 37 17 5 10 56 44 15 10 7 56 35 R 16 5 11 68 36 15 6 11 41 31 15 4 13 53 43 14 3 15 62 57 R 12 6 14 46 45 11 4 17 55 64 11 3 18 41 57 7 7 18 37 71 7 1 24 32 86 R 6 3 23 31 94 R 3 6 23 30 86 green1 Promotion to Second League P P red1 Relegation to Amateur Football League R R R R R complete RSSSF Notes. FC Istochnik Rostov-on-Don were excluded from the league after playing 14 games and gaining 30 points. All their results were discarded. They did not play in any national-level competitions in 1997. FC Salyut-YuKOS Belgorod and FC Lokomotiv Yelets awarded 1 home win each. FC Salyut Belgorod renamed to FC Salyut-YuKOS. FC Dynamo-Zhemchuzhina-2 Sochi played their first professional season. FC Avangard-Kolos Taganrog and FC Chernomorets-d Novorossiysk played their first professional season. They did not play in any national-level competitions in 1997. FC Zvezda Gorodishche did not play in any national-level competitions in 1997. FC Izumrud Timashyovsk promoted from the Amateur Football League. FC Rostselmash-d Rostov-on-Don did not play professionally in 1995. Top goalscorers 32 goals Stanislav Dubrovin (FC Dynamo-Zhemchuzhina-2 Sochi) 20 goals Aleksandr Bocharnikov (FC Kuban Slavyansk-na-Kubani) Igor Stasyuk (FC Izumrud Timashyovsk) 15 goals Oleg Akulov (FC Zhemchuzhina-d Sochi) 14 goals Yevgeni Kuzka (FC Lokomotiv Yelets) 13 goals Sergei Borodin (FC Zvezda Gorodishche) Vladimir Grishchenko (FC Niva Slavyansk-na-Kubani / FC Chernomorets-d Novorossiysk) Armenia Manuk Kakosyan (FC Dynamo-Zhemchuzhina-2 Sochi) Sergei Sedov (FC Avangard-Kolos Taganrog) 12 goals Andrei Fomichyov (FC Salyut-YuKOS Belgorod) Tatul Mkhitaryan (FC Dynamo Mikhaylovka) Andrei Pakhtusov (FC Niva Slavyansk-na-Kubani) Aleksandr Shtyn (FC Zhemchuzhina-d Sochi) Yuri Veretin (FC Lokomotiv Yelets) Zone 3 Overview Team Head coach FC Dynamo-d Moscow FC Mosenergo Moscow Valentin Sysoyev FC Avtomobilist Noginsk Vladimir Bodrov FC Spartak-d Moscow FC Torpedo-Luzhniki-d Moscow FC Roda Moscow Vladimir Opochinskiy FC Avangard-Kortek Kolomna Viktor Korneyev FC Fabus Bronnitsy Vladimir Sautin FC Mashinostroitel Sergiyev Posad Andrei Leksakov PFC CSKA-d Moscow FC Torgmash Lyubertsy Anatoli Leshchenkov FC Monolit Moscow Yuri Vereykin FC Titan Reutov Valeri Vdovin FC Krasnogvardeyets Moscow Aleksandr Rakov FC Dynamo-2 Moscow FC Oka Kolomna Aleksandr Borisenkov FC Obninsk Yuri Mosolev FC Chertanovo Moscow Mikhail Karatayev FC Smena Moscow Vladimir Yevseyev FC Lokomotiv-d Moscow FC TRASKO Moscow Aleksandr Gusev Standings main WDL 5 PR DDM Dynamo-d Moscow MOM Mosenergo Moscow AVN Avtomobilist Noginsk SDM Spartak-d Moscow TLM Torpedo-Luzhniki-d Moscow RMO Roda Moscow AKK Avangard-Kortek Kolomna FBR Fabus Bronnitsy MSP Mashinostroitel Sergiyev Posad CDM CSKA-d Moscow TOL Torgmash Lyubertsy MMO Monolit Moscow TIR Titan Reutov KMO Krasnogvardeyets Moscow D2M Dynamo-2 Moscow OKK Oka Kolomna OBN Obninsk CHM Chertanovo Moscow SMO Smena Moscow LDM Lokomotiv-d Moscow 28 6 4 87 27 27 6 5 84 21 A 26 7 5 84 30 A 26 7 5 91 33 21 9 8 70 37 21 6 11 79 52 18 4 16 49 47 16 7 15 51 59 15 8 15 53 63 12 11 15 52 54 12 10 16 42 56 12 10 16 39 44 12 8 18 44 59 11 9 18 43 53 10 8 20 40 58 9 9 20 33 73 R 6 11 21 34 86 R 6 9 23 23 67 5 11 22 27 69 R 5 8 25 32 69 green1 Promotion to Second League P P red1 Relegation to Amateur Football League R R R complete RSSSF Notes. FC TRASKO Moscow were excluded from the league after playing 18 games and gaining 7 points. All their results were discarded. FC Mashinostroitel Sergiyev Posad awarded 1 home win. FC Dynamo-d Moscow was not promoted as reserve teams were not eligible for promotion. FC Torpedo-d Moscow renamed to FC Torpedo-Luzhniki-d. FC Roda Moscow promoted from the Amateur Football League. FC Obninsk did not play professionally in 1995 and did not play in any national-level competitions in 1997. Top goalscorers 25 goals Sergei Artyomov (FC Dynamo-d Moscow) Sergei Bespalykh (FC Avangard-Kortek Kolomna) 19 goals Igor Reutov (FC Avtomobilist Noginsk) 18 goals Anatoli Balaluyev (FC Avtomobilist Noginsk) 17 goals Aleksandr Samorodov (FC Mosenergo Moscow) 16 goals Nikolai Klikin (FC Dynamo-2 Moscow) 15 goals Aleksandr Kuptsov (FC Fabus Bronnitsy) 14 goals Sergei Burtsev (FC Torgmash Lyubertsy) Andrei Dyomkin (FC Dynamo-d Moscow) Konstantin Kaynov (FC Fabus Bronnitsy) Zone 4 Overview Team Head coach FC Orekhovo Orekhovo-Zuyevo Leonid Ostroushko FC Volga Tver Yuri Zubkov FC Oryol Vladimir Brykin FC Torpedo Vladimir Nikolai Pavelyev FC Dynamo Bryansk Viktor Zimin FC Mashinostroitel Pskov Sergei Markelov FC Neftyanik Yaroslavl Valentin Volkov FC Zenit-d St. Petersburg FC Luch Tula Aleksandr Chimbiryov FC Lokomotiv-d St. Petersburg FC Spartak Bryansk Aleksandr Sekselev FC Kristall Dyatkovo Nikolai Shipka FC Bulat Cherepovets Aleksandr Sokolov FC Karelia-Erzi Petrozavodsk Aleksei Strepetov FC Spartak Kostroma Valeri Volchanovskiy FC Volochanin Vyshny Volochyok Nikolai Yakovlev Standings main WDL 5 PR OOZ Orekhovo Orekhovo-Zuyevo VTV Volga Tver ORY Oryol TVL Torpedo Vladimir DYB Dynamo Bryansk MAP Mashinostroitel Pskov NEY Neftyanik Yaroslavl ZSP Zenit-d St. Petersburg LTU Luch Tula LSP Lokomotiv-d St. Petersburg SBR Spartak Bryansk KRD Kristall Dyatkovo BUC Bulat Cherepovets KEP Karelia-Erzi Petrozavodsk SPK Spartak Kostroma VVV Volochanin Vyshny Volochyok 19 6 5 58 25 A 18 9 3 42 21 A 17 11 2 48 15 A 17 4 9 47 35 14 10 6 52 27 14 6 10 38 32 13 8 9 44 29 11 7 12 29 28 10 8 12 40 29 10 7 13 32 44 7 10 13 43 52 6 9 15 23 44 R 6 8 16 22 40 R 5 9 16 24 49 R 5 8 17 20 52 6 4 20 19 59 green1 Promotion to Second League P P P red1 Relegation to Amateur Football League R R R complete RSSSF Notes. FC Karelia-Erzi Petrozavodsk were excluded from the league after playing 24 games and gaining 24 points. Opponents were awarded a win in the remaining games. They did not play professionally in 1995 and did not play in any national-level competitions in 1997 FC Trion-Volga Tver renamed to FC Volga. FC Lokomotiv-d St. Petersburg played their first professional season. FC Spartak Bryansk promoted from the Amateur Football League. FC Kristall Dyatkovo and FC Bulat Cherepovets did not play in any national-level competitions in 1997. Top goalscorers 18 goals Vladislav Khakhalev (FC Torpedo Vladimir) 15 goals Ruslan Usikov (FC Dynamo Bryansk) 14 goals Igor Aksyonov (FC Neftyanik Yaroslavl) Valeri Korneyev (FC Spartak Bryansk) 13 goals Belarus Sergey Ulezlo (FC Volga Tver) 11 goals Aleksei Barikov (FC Oryol) Pavel Sukhov (FC Orekhovo Orekhovo-Zuyevo) 10 goals Igor Varakin (FC Orekhovo Orekhovo-Zuyevo) 9 goals Stanislav Borisov (FC Oryol) 8 goals Yevgeni Leonov (FC Karelia-Erzi Petrozavodsk) Andrei Syomin (FC Oryol) Konstantin Taptov (FC Spartak Bryansk) Zone 5 Overview Team Head coach FC Spartak Tambov Vladimir Kovylin FC Volga Ulyanovsk Sergei Sedyshev FC Salyut Saratov Vladimir Khoroltsev FC Energetik Uren Oleg Yevtushenko FC Kristall Sergach Viktor Pavlyukov FC Metallurg Vyksa Mikhail Beketov FC Biokhimik-Mordovia Saransk Igor Shinkarenko FC Stroitel Morshansk Vyacheslav Vlasov FC Iskra Engels Yevgeni Kostyryachenko FC Progress Zelenodolsk Aleksandr Klobukov FC Khimik Dzerzhinsk Mikhail Senyurin FC Volga Balakovo Aleksandr Krokhin FC Neftyanik Pokhvistnevo Anatoli Valkov FC Druzhba Yoshkar-Ola Valeri Bogdanov FC Kraneks Ivanovo Yuri Krivolapov FC Lokomotiv-d Nizhny Novgorod Standings main WDL 5 PR SPT Spartak Tambov VUL Volga Ulyanovsk SAS Salyut Saratov EUR Energetik Uren KRS Kristall Sergach MEV Metallurg Vyksa BMS Biokhimik-Mordovia Saransk SMO Stroitel Morshansk IEN Iskra Engels PRZ Progress Zelenodolsk KHD Khimik Dzerzhinsk VOB Volga Balakovo NEP Neftyanik Pokhvistnevo DYO Druzhba Yoshkar-Ola KRI Kraneks Ivanovo LNN Lokomotiv-d Nizhny Novgorod 20 8 2 74 17 A 20 7 3 63 14 A 16 9 5 45 25 15 7 8 41 32 14 5 11 50 32 R 12 9 9 36 31 12 7 11 40 32 11 8 11 38 38 11 6 13 44 47 10 8 12 42 44 9 11 10 24 31 10 6 14 31 49 8 9 13 36 48 7 9 14 28 48 2 8 20 21 75 R 2 5 23 15 65 green1 Promotion to Second League P P red1 Relegation to Amateur Football League R R complete RSSSF Notes. FC Energetik Uren and FC Lokomotiv-d Nizhny Novgorod played their first professional season. FC Biokhimik-Mordovia Saransk promoted from the Amateur Football League where it played in 1995 as FC Biokhimik Saransk. FC Stroitel Morshansk and FC Iskra Engels promoted from the Amateur Football League. FC Kraneks Ivanovo did not play in any national-level competitions in 1997. Top goalscorers 25 goals Aleksandr Khalzov (FC Spartak Tambov) 19 goals Sergei Pervushin (FC Spartak Tambov) 15 goals Vladimir Nosov (FC Kristall Sergach) 14 goals Dmitri Borisko (FC Volga Ulyanovsk) Andrei Eskov (FC Iskra Engels) 12 goals Boris Goncharov (FC Spartak Tambov) Vladimir Kopylov (FC Druzhba Yoshkar-Ola) 11 goals Aleksandr Fyodorov (FC Progress Zelenodolsk) 10 goals Eduard Bazarov (FC Volga Balakovo) Sergei Glazunov (FC Salyut Saratov) Yuri Plyaskevich (FC Stroitel Morshansk) Vladimir Rokunov (FC Biokhimik-Mordovia Saransk) Zone 6 Overview Team Head coach FC Sodovik Sterlitamak Sergei Maksimov FC Uralets Nizhny Tagil Anatoli Garenskikh FC Metiznik Magnitogorsk Aleksandr Kukushkin FC Dynamo Perm Anatoli Timofeyev FC Gazovik Orenburg Viktor Dyomkin FC Neftyanik Bugulma German Bobek FC Trubnik Kamensk-Uralsky Leonid Mosolov FC Elektron Vyatskiye Polyany Yuri Osin FC Dynamo-Gazovik-d Tyumen FC Gornyak Kushva Viktor Konshin FC Gornyak Kachkanar Viktor Shlyayev FC Uralmash-d Yekaterinburg FC KAMAZ-Chally-d Naberezhnye Chelny Standings main WDL 5 PR SOS Sodovik Sterlitamak UNT Uralets Nizhny Tagil NEN Metiznik Magnitogorsk DYP Dynamo Perm GAO Gazovik Orenburg NBU Neftyanik Bugulma TKU Trubnik Kamensk-Uralsky EVP Elektron Vyatskiye Polyany DGT Dynamo-Gazovik-d Tyumen GKU Gornyak Kushva GOK Gornyak Kachkanar UDY Uralmash-d Yekaterinburg KCNC KAMAZ-Chally-d Naberezhnye Chelny 18 1 5 49 16 A 17 3 4 51 17 16 3 5 54 23 15 6 3 56 16 12 2 10 32 29 10 4 10 38 27 9 7 8 33 39 8 7 9 28 30 8 3 13 24 46 R 7 4 13 19 37 R 7 1 16 23 48 4 3 17 27 58 R 2 2 20 18 66 green1 Promotion to Second League P red1 Relegation to Amateur Football League R R R complete RSSSF Notes. FC Gornyak-Vanadiy Kachkanar renamed to FC Gornyak. Gornyak was excluded from the league after playing 12 games and gaining 22 points. Opponents were awarded a win in the remaining games. FC Dynamo Perm awarded 1 home win. FC Planeta Bugulma renamed to FC Neftyanik. FC Dynamo-Gazovik-d Tyumen, FC Gornyak Kushva and FC Uralmash-d Yekaterinburg did not play in any national-level competitions in 1997. Top goalscorers 13 goals Konstantin Ilyinykh (FC Dynamo Perm) 12 goals Aleksei Alekseyev (FC Uralets Nizhny Tagil) Yuri Petrov (FC Dynamo Perm) 11 goals Sergei Balandin (FC Metiznik Magnitogorsk) 9 goals Sergei Afanasyev (FC Metiznik Magnitogorsk) Igor Degtyaryov (FC Gazovik Orenburg) Albert Gubaydulin (FC Sodovik Sterlitamak) Dmitri Zakharov (FC Gornyak Kachkanar) 8 goals Vyacheslav Khovanskiy (FC Trubnik Kamensk-Uralsky) Yuri Panov (FC Sodovik Sterlitamak) Andrei Sviridov (FC Metiznik Magnitogorsk) Yuri Vetlugayev (FC Uralets Nizhny Tagil) See also 1996 Russian Top League 1996 Russian First League 1996 Russian Second League 1996 4 Russia Russia