From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Boardroom27 Mar 2028
The numbers do not look good at Kaluga
Wages have outrun income and the accountants have started attending meetings they used to send apologies to. Ambition comes second in a season like this.
Market27 Mar 2028
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Kaluga is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Loan watch27 Mar 2028
“I did not go to Volgar to sit and watch. I want to come back to Kaluga and fight for my place.” 0 appearances in 34 matches say the rest.
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From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Squad14 Feb 2028
Nikita Kuzin 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 Kaluga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad14 Feb 2028
The manager makes an example of Maher Hakami
“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.
Squad14 Feb 2028
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Ilja Grischenko plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Market29 Nov 2027
Maher Hakami hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kaluga can pretend not to have heard.
Squad29 Nov 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.
Boardroom29 Nov 2027
186% of the income goes out in wages at Kaluga
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.
Loan watch29 Nov 2027
“I did not go to Chertanovo to sit and watch. I want to come back to Kaluga and fight for my place.” 3 appearances in 21 matches say the rest.
Market29 Nov 2027
He is 19, and nobody at Kaluga signed him for this season. Deals like this are judged in four years, by people who may not still be in the building.
Squad29 Nov 2027
Sergey Krotov 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
Uneasy
Match6 Oct 2027
Kaluga out of the cup
KAMAZ ended it 0-1. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.
Squad11 Oct 2027
Lev Ivanushkin: 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.” Kaluga have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market11 Oct 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.
Match9 Oct 2027
4 matches without a win for Kaluga
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Kaluga are no longer polite ones.
Boardroom11 Oct 2027
Kaluga counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Kaluga now.
Squad11 Oct 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.
Loan watch11 Oct 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Kaluga, and 0 appearances in 10 say he has earned the hearing.
Match9 Oct 2027
Kaluga and Irtysh take a point apiece
It finished 1-1, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad11 Oct 2027
Sergey Krotov 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 Kaluga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market6 Sep 2027
Maher Hakami hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kaluga can pretend not to have heard.
Boardroom6 Sep 2027
160% of the income goes out in wages at Kaluga
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.
Loan watch6 Sep 2027
“I am grateful for the games, but I did not become a footballer to be somebody else's spare part.” He wants to be at Kaluga, and 2 appearances in 9 say he has earned the hearing.
Match4 Sep 2027
Kaluga come up short against Murom
Murom left with the points after a 0-1 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
Squad6 Sep 2027
The manager makes an example of Ilja Sokolov
“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.
Market6 Sep 2027
No fee, no negotiation, no argument: Dmitry Yugaldin moves on to another club with his contract settled and the wage bill a little lighter.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match30 Aug 2027
Kaluga up to position 3
11 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.
Market30 Aug 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.
Squad30 Aug 2027
Pavel Gritsun: 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.” Kaluga have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Match28 Aug 2027
Kuban made Kaluga work for it, but the scoreboard read 1-0 at the end and the table does not ask how.
Squad30 Aug 2027
Ivan Nikin gets it from the manager
“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.
Market30 Aug 2027
The name of Rinat Shakerov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Kaluga say nothing, which says plenty.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Boardroom16 Aug 2027
Kaluga counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Kaluga now.
Match14 Aug 2027
A 2-1 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.
Squad16 Aug 2027
Artem Kuzmin gets it from the manager
“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
Squad2 Aug 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.
Squad2 Aug 2027
The award is a small thing with a heavy meaning: for four weeks nobody in this division did his job better. Kaluga have the trophy on a shelf and the player in the side.
Match31 Jul 2027
Nil-nil, and few chances worth the name. Dinamo Vladivostok came to defend and left with exactly what they came for.
Market2 Aug 2027
The name of Rinat Shakerov keeps appearing in other people's back pages. Kaluga say nothing, which says plenty.
Squad2 Aug 2027
The captaincy goes to Igor Sokolov. It is not a job that wins matches, but a dressing room always notices who is given it.
Market2 Aug 2027
Kaluga have made Daniil Avdeev available for transfer. A career at this club is over in all but paperwork.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Market26 Jul 2027
Skonto come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and Kaluga did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad26 Jul 2027
The manager makes an example of Ilja Sokolov
“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.
Match24 Jul 2027
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Avangard defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
From our football correspondent
Upbeat
Match17 Jul 2027
Rarely has this fixture seen a display like it: 4-1 against Murom, and it could have been more.
Market19 Jul 2027
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Market19 Jul 2027
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market19 Jul 2027
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Market19 Jul 2027
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Boardroom19 Jul 2027
Kaluga counting the cost
The accounts make uncomfortable reading. Wages first and ambition second is the order of business at Kaluga now.
Squad19 Jul 2027
The manager makes an example of Dmitry Yugaldin
“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.
Squad19 Jul 2027
Ilja Sokolov 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.
Squad19 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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad28 Jun 2027
Ilja Sokolov: 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.” Kaluga have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Market28 Jun 2027
Everything was agreed until it was not, and Oleg Lapaev reports back to Kaluga with a summer to forget. Neither club is saying who walked away from the table.
Squad28 Jun 2027
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Ivan Matyushenko commits to Kaluga for another 4 years.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad31 May 2027
Ilja Sokolov 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 Kaluga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Squad31 May 2027
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Ilja Grischenko plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
Squad31 May 2027
A welcome sight on the training pitch: Khalid Abduljawad has come through recovery and is pushing for a place again.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Squad3 May 2027
The message was aimed at the stands as much as the dressing room: Ilja Grischenko plays, and the argument is closed until the manager decides otherwise.
Squad3 May 2027
A welcome sight on the training pitch: Alexey Polev has come through recovery and is pushing for a place again.
Loan watch3 May 2027
6 appearances in 36 fixtures. A loan is supposed to be football, and this one has turned into a change of address.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match22 Mar 2027
Kaluga up to position 1
19 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.
Market22 Mar 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.
Boardroom22 Mar 2027
197% of the income goes out in wages at Kaluga
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.
From our football correspondent
Steady
Match22 Feb 2027
Kaluga up to position 1
19 points on the board and a place in the leading group. Nobody at the ground is saying the word out loud yet.
Boardroom22 Feb 2027
Wages eat 232% of everything Kaluga earn
There is a figure at which a wage bill stops being ambitious and becomes the reason nothing else is possible, and this club has reached it. Nothing is left over for a transfer, a stand or a rainy afternoon.
Squad22 Feb 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 Kaluga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
From our football correspondent
Steady
The terraces19 Oct 2026
The boos come down from three sides
“We pay for this every fortnight. The least we want is somebody who looks like he cares.” 5 of the 24 senior players walked off into it; the rest were not playing.
Market19 Oct 2026
The shirt still fits. Rezo Meskhidze is back at Kaluga, and half the ground remembers him in these colours already. Some signings need selling to the town; this one sold itself.
Match17 Oct 2026
Kaluga come up short against Kuban
Kuban left with the points after a 0-2 defeat that will take some explaining on the terraces.
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.
Loan watch19 Oct 2026
“I did not go to Astrakhan to sit and watch. I want to come back to Kaluga and fight for my place.” 1 appearances in 5 matches say the rest.
Squad19 Oct 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Ensar Tafili and Kaluga agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match19 Sep 2026
It finished 2-2, and it somehow always looked like it would. One of those afternoons where the table moves less than the tempers.
Squad21 Sep 2026
The first one is the one every signing is asked about until it arrives. It has arrived, and he can stop being asked.
Squad21 Sep 2026
The competition arrived without a word said to him about it. Dmitry Yugaldin keeps the shirt for now, at Kaluga's convenience rather than his own.
Squad21 Sep 2026
At 25 he has made the position his own, and the man he took it from has to find something to say about it. Kaluga have a decision that made itself.
Squad21 Sep 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 Kaluga, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Market21 Sep 2026
The window shut and Dmitry Yugaldin is still in the building
Kaluga spent a month trying to move him and nobody rang back. He trains with a squad that has told him where he stands, and both sides start counting down to the next one.
From our football correspondent
Uneasy
Match19 Aug 2026
Kaluga out of the cup
Nart ended it 1-2. The season narrows to the league now, and everyone in the ground knew it before the final whistle.
Market24 Aug 2026
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Kaluga can pretend not to have heard.
Market24 Aug 2026
The offer was not close and it was refused without much discussion. Whether the second one is refused as quickly is another matter.
Match22 Aug 2026
4 matches without a win for Kaluga
The run now stands at 4, and the questions being asked around Kaluga are no longer polite ones.
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.
Squad24 Aug 2026
An error at the back is a moment; an error in goal is a goal. Vyacheslav Dorovskikh knows it, the crowd knew it instantly, and there was nobody behind him to make it anything else.
Match22 Aug 2026
The crowd waited for a goal that never came. Irtysh defended in numbers and left with what they came for, and the two sides could be playing still without troubling a scorer.
Squad24 Aug 2026
A first senior shirt for Oleg Lapaev
Every debut is a small story about the future: Oleg Lapaev, 20 years old, off the academy pitches and into the first team. The parents in the stand will keep the programme.
Squad24 Aug 2026
Oleg Lapaev finally opens his account
He wheeled away like a man who had been carrying it for months, because he had. Kaluga have their signing off the mark and one press-conference question retired.
From our football correspondent
Triumph
Squad3 Aug 2026
There were 7 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad3 Aug 2026
“The easiest signature of my career.” Daud Daliev and Kaluga agree another 4 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Market3 Aug 2026
The interest is real enough to have reached print. Kaluga have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Match1 Aug 2026
A 1-0 win over Dinamo Vladivostok, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Market3 Aug 2026
“There is a gap, and pretending there is not helps nobody.” Neither side has moved, and the calendar is working for exactly one of them.
Market3 Aug 2026
49 months to run and not a word offered. A club that lets the calendar negotiate for it usually ends up losing to the calendar.