Russian Premier League

Russian president Vladimir Putin has spoken out against proposals to drop the foreigner limit rule in place at elite clubs, warning that his nation will be sidelined on the international scene if the restrictions are dropped.

Russia's joint all-time top scorer, Artem Dzyuba, has been ousted from the first national squad announced by new boss Valeri Karpin – a day after Zenit dropped their captain amid rumors he could move to Turkish side Fenerbahce.

There was an unexpected visitor to a Russian Premier League match on Monday as a snake in the grass entered the home box, tried to evade stadium staff and forced a referee to temporarily stop the action at Chechnya's Akhmat Arena.

Valeri Karpin has been appointed as Stanislav Cherchesov's successor as manager of Russia, with the 52-year-old set to sign a contract until the end of 2021 and combine the role with his existing job as Rostov coach.

Russian football star Lina Yakupova copped two black eyes and a trail of blood seeping from her head after being smashed to the floor in a sickening collision during a game for Zenit St. Petersburg, wiping the brave forward out.

Colorful Russia and Zenit skipper Artem Dzyuba likened himself to a superhero while admitting he had been waiting for his chance to make a memorable change of clothing before collecting the Russian Premier League title again.

Ex-Arsenal and Russia star Andrey Arshavin has revealed he would have forgotten about the date of his career-high club football achievement were it not for social media.

While some of the most high-profile football clubs in the world have suffered a week of public relations disasters, the likes of Spartak Moscow have produced ingenious Super League ripostes, picking up new fans along the way.

Russian Premier League newcomer Aleksandr Yerkin, who is one of two Tambov players to have reportedly been summoned by national football bosses as part of a betting investigation, has detailed why a polygraph is not to be trusted.