From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad30 Aug 2027
Alexandr Kulikov: that is not what I was promised
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Kuban have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
The terraces30 Aug 2027
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 6 of the 25 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Market30 Aug 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Squad30 Aug 2027
The medical room confirms 27 days on the sidelines for Ilja Moseichuk, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Squad30 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Mikhail Ageev
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match28 Aug 2027
Kuban come up short against Kaluga
Kaluga left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Back issues
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Squad2 Aug 2027
The medical room confirms 57 days on the sidelines for Ilja Moseichuk, and a plan built around him now has to be rebuilt.
Match31 Jul 2027
Kuban get the job done against Murom
A 1-0 win over Murom, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Squad2 Aug 2027
The manager makes an example of Ruslan Gavrilov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market2 Aug 2027
Zvezda are about to pick up the phone
A conversation is coming this week. Kuban will put a number on him, and from there it stops being football and becomes arithmetic.
Market2 Aug 2027
“They were honest with me, and I would rather know.” Artem Mamonov has been informed he is not in the manager's thinking at Kuban.
Market2 Aug 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Kuban know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market2 Aug 2027
The clock runs on Mykyta Kolesov's contract
12 months left and silence from upstairs — no offer, no talks, nothing for his people to answer. Clubs that let a calendar do their negotiating usually end up negotiating with the calendar.
Squad2 Aug 2027
Mykyta Kolesov asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Squad2 Aug 2027
Igor Tursunov unhappy with how he is being used
Asked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Igor Tursunov has let it be known that he does not like the way Kuban are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match24 Jul 2027
A 2-0 win over Torpedo Miass, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Market26 Jul 2027
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Kuban have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Market26 Jul 2027
Both sides expect a conversation in the coming days. Kuban will name a price, and everything after that is arithmetic.
Squad26 Jul 2027
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Market26 Jul 2027
The name of Igor Bezdenezhnykh keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Kuban say nothing, which says plenty.
Market26 Jul 2027
Kuban have made Maxim Ortyashov available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Mikhail Yakovlev unhappy with how he is being used
Asked to play a role that is not his, or taken off before the hour once too often — Mikhail Yakovlev has let it be known that he does not like the way Kuban are using him. Managers hear this long before the press does.
The terraces26 Jul 2027
The press have found their man in Mikhail Ageev
Column inches are not points, but a footballer whose name keeps appearing for the right reasons is a footballer whose price has just gone up.
Squad26 Jul 2027
Mikhail Ageev named in the team of the week
A rating of 6.82 was enough for the selectors, and nobody who watched the match is going to argue with them.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market5 Jul 2027
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kuban can pretend not to have heard.
Squad5 Jul 2027
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Kuban, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market5 Jul 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Kuban know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Jun 2027
“The easiest signature of my career.” Mikhail Ageev and Kuban agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Boardroom21 Jun 2027
Kuban counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Kuban now.
Market21 Jun 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Kuban know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad7 Jun 2027
8 clean sheets across a season, and the one award on the pitch nobody else is eligible for. Most keepers get through a whole career without a year like it.
Market7 Jun 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Kuban know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Squad7 Jun 2027
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Mikhail Ageev plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market31 May 2027
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match31 May 2027
Kuban up to position 3
16 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.
Squad31 May 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad10 May 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Market10 May 2027
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Kuban know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
Market10 May 2027
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Maxim Ortyashov may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad12 Apr 2027
The manager makes an example of Mykyta Kolesov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market12 Apr 2027
The name of Mikhail Ageev keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Kuban say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad12 Apr 2027
Daniil Melnikov asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad15 Mar 2027
The manager makes an example of Mykyta Kolesov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market15 Mar 2027
The name of Mikhail Ageev keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Kuban say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad15 Mar 2027
Ruslan Gavrilov asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad15 Feb 2027
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market15 Feb 2027
The name of Mikhail Ageev keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Kuban say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad15 Feb 2027
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Sergey Terekhov keeps the shirt for now, at Kuban's convenience rather than his own.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad18 Jan 2027
“I was told what my role would be, and I signed on that basis. It has not happened.” A grievance with a date attached is the hardest kind to settle.
Squad18 Jan 2027
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market18 Jan 2027
The name of Mikhail Ageev keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Kuban say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad21 Dec 2026
Yury Nesterenko asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market21 Dec 2026
The name of Mikhail Ageev keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Kuban say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad21 Dec 2026
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Yegor Shalimov plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad23 Nov 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market23 Nov 2026
The name of Mikhail Ageev keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Kuban say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad23 Nov 2026
Yegor Neustroev asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad26 Oct 2026
The manager makes an example of Georgi Shopov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad26 Oct 2026
Yury Nesterenko asks for a word with the manager
“I would rather say it to his face than read about it.” The meeting was requested by the player, which tells you most of what you need to know.
Market26 Oct 2026
The name of Mikhail Ageev keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Kuban say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match19 Oct 2026
Kuban are in among the leaders
Position 3 and 16 points on the board. Nobody at the ground will say the word out loud yet, and everybody at the ground is thinking it.
Match17 Oct 2026
Kaluga made Kuban work for it, but the scoreboard read 2-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad19 Oct 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad12 Oct 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match10 Oct 2026
Kuban and Rodina 2 cancel each other out
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Rodina 2 came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
Squad12 Oct 2026
Evgeny Osipov knocks on the manager's door
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Kuban, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match5 Oct 2026
Kuban are in real trouble now
Position 7, 12 points, and a fixture list with fewer games left in it than excuses. The arithmetic is not cruel yet, but it has stopped being kind.
Boardroom5 Oct 2026
1494% of the income goes out in wages at Kuban
Every club in football pays most of what it earns to its players. Paying nearly all of it is a different arrangement, and it has ended the same way every time somebody has tried it.
Match3 Oct 2026
0-1 to Dinamo Vladivostok, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Squad5 Oct 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Georgi Shopov and Kuban agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad5 Oct 2026
The manager makes an example of Ruslan Gavrilov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Market5 Oct 2026
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Kuban know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Match26 Sep 2026
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad28 Sep 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Market28 Sep 2026
The name of Mikhail Ageev keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Kuban say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match19 Sep 2026
Three points for Kuban, 1-0 the final word against Murom in a contest settled by the finer margins.
Squad21 Sep 2026
The manager makes an example of Gleb Bakharev
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Squad21 Sep 2026
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Kuban have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Mikhail Ageev has company in his position
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Mikhail Ageev keeps the shirt for now, at Kuban's convenience rather than his own.
Squad21 Sep 2026
Mikhail Ageev wants a proper job in this side
Shifted about, taken off before the hour, asked to do somebody else's running — Mikhail Ageev has had enough of being useful and would like to be picked. Kuban know, and have known for weeks.
Market21 Sep 2026
No fee and no drama: Georgi Shopov has signed at Kuban, and the wage bill is the only line that moved.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match31 Aug 2026
Kuban sink to position 6
5 points, and a fixture list that is running out. The mathematics are not yet cruel, but they are no longer kind.
Market31 Aug 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match29 Aug 2026
5 matches without a win for Kuban
The run now stands at 5, and the questions being asked around Kuban are no longer polite ones.
Market31 Aug 2026
The name of Artem Varganov has come up in conversations Kuban were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
Squad31 Aug 2026
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Kuban, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad31 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Mykyta Kolesov
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Match29 Aug 2026
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Kaluga defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Market31 Aug 2026
The name of Mikhail Ageev keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Kuban say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match19 Aug 2026
The cup run ends for Kuban
0-0 against Angusht, and the road stops here. Cup exits are quick deaths — no second leg, no next week, just the league from now until May.
Squad24 Aug 2026
A shoot-out is remembered by its ending, and this one ends with Yury Nesterenko: 1 kept out, and a set of supporters who will describe every one of them for the next twenty years.
Market24 Aug 2026
“I have given everything here and I need a new challenge.” The request is formal, and the relationship will never be quite the same again.
Match22 Aug 2026
4 matches without a win for Kuban
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Kuban are no longer polite ones.
Match22 Aug 2026
Beaten 0-1, and beaten fairly. The manager kept his words short afterwards, which was probably wise.
Squad24 Aug 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
From our football correspondent
Crisis
Squad17 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Fabian Sowiecki and Kuban agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Squad17 Aug 2026
“Nobody here is above being told.” It was not said with a name attached, but the dressing room can count, and so can everybody who was listening.
Match15 Aug 2026
0-1 to Dinamo Vladivostok, and no complaints worth printing. The performance asked for nothing more than it got.
Market17 Aug 2026
Fabian Sowiecki is 20, and Kuban have signed him for the player he will be rather than the one he is. The first team can wait; the point of a deal like this is the years it buys.
Squad17 Aug 2026
At 20 years old, Fabian Sowiecki became the latest name off the academy production line to be handed a senior shirt.
Market17 Aug 2026
The name of Igor Bezdenezhnykh keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Kuban say nothing, which says plenty.