1996 Russian Third League

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).

Standings
Notes.


 * 1) 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.
 * 2) 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.
 * 3) FC Gekris Anapa renamed to FC Spartak.
 * 4) FC Dynamo Makhachkala renamed to FC Dynamo-Imamat.
 * 5) FC Kuban-d Krasnodar and PFC Spartak-d Nalchik played their first professional season.
 * 6) FC Anzhi-2 Makhachkala moved to Kaspiysk.
 * 7) FC Iriston Mozdok renamed to FC Mozdok.
 * 8) FC Astrateks Astrakhan and FC Derbent did not play in any national-level competitions in 1997.
 * 9) FC Spartak-2 Nartkala renamed to FC Nart.
 * 10) FC Kabardey-ZET Nizhny Cherek promoted from the Amateur Football League. They did not play in any national-level competitions in 1997.
 * 11) 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


 * 🇦🇿 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)

Standings
Notes.


 * 1) 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.
 * 2) FC Salyut-YuKOS Belgorod and FC Lokomotiv Yelets awarded 1 home win each.
 * 3) FC Salyut Belgorod renamed to FC Salyut-YuKOS.
 * 4) FC Dynamo-Zhemchuzhina-2 Sochi played their first professional season.
 * 5) 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.
 * 6) FC Zvezda Gorodishche did not play in any national-level competitions in 1997.
 * 7) FC Izumrud Timashyovsk promoted from the Amateur Football League.
 * 8) 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)
 * 🇦🇲 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)

Standings
Notes.


 * 1) FC TRASKO Moscow were excluded from the league after playing 18 games and gaining 7 points. All their results were discarded.
 * 2) FC Mashinostroitel Sergiyev Posad awarded 1 home win.
 * 3) FC Dynamo-d Moscow was not promoted as reserve teams were not eligible for promotion.
 * 4) FC Torpedo-d Moscow renamed to FC Torpedo-Luzhniki-d.
 * 5) FC Roda Moscow promoted from the Amateur Football League.
 * 6) 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)

Standings
Notes.


 * 1) 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
 * 2) FC Trion-Volga Tver renamed to FC Volga.
 * 3) FC Lokomotiv-d St. Petersburg played their first professional season.
 * 4) FC Spartak Bryansk promoted from the Amateur Football League.
 * 5) 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


 * 🇧🇾 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)

Standings
Notes.


 * 1) FC Energetik Uren and FC Lokomotiv-d Nizhny Novgorod played their first professional season.
 * 2) FC Biokhimik-Mordovia Saransk promoted from the Amateur Football League where it played in 1995 as FC Biokhimik Saransk.
 * 3) FC Stroitel Morshansk and FC Iskra Engels promoted from the Amateur Football League.
 * 4) 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)

Standings
Notes.


 * 1) 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.
 * 2) FC Dynamo Perm awarded 1 home win.
 * 3) FC Planeta Bugulma renamed to FC Neftyanik.
 * 4) 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)