Former Lokomotiv Moscow and Russia national team midfielder Dmitry Bulykin shared his reflections on the recent resumption of the Russian Premier League and offered a candid assessment of how several clubs performed after the winter break. He also spoke at length about the role of refereeing, noting that a string of controversial decisions had a noticeable impact on several matches and on the overall mood around the league. Bulykin did not mince words, acknowledging both surprises and disappointments as teams re-entered the race for the season’s outcomes.
From his perspective, Lokomotiv, together with Artem Dzyuba, delivered a surprising and positive performance that exceeded expectations. The former forward highlighted how the club and its new momentum, bolstered by Dzyuba’s influence, managed to execute effectively on the field. In contrast, Bulykin identified CSKA Moscow and Spartak Moscow as the teams that had underperformed following the winter pause. He observed that the questions surrounding the decisions of the match officials for these clubs were numerous and attributed some of the difficulties to the refereeing in games involving Krasnodar as well. He noted that these clubs were anticipated to perform strongly after the break, but results did not reflect that potential, leaving fans and analysts alike with a sense of unfinished business and unresolved questions about outcomes.
Regarding Spartak alone, Bulykin suggested that players could reasonably appeal to referees, yet he emphasized that the best approach for a team is to win without heavy dependence on officiating. He argued that players should strive to be physically and mentally dominant—being “a head taller” in terms of presence and concentration—so that officials are less likely to influence pivotal moments. He pointed out that in many matches there are always borderline decisions that can be interpreted in different ways, and that most of the contentious moments fall under the scrutiny of the Expert Judiciary Commission, which is tasked with evaluating referees after the fact. Bulykin stressed that in modern discussions around the league, refereeing decisions carry significant weight because they can tilt perceived parity and shape the narrative around a given game, even when teams or players believe the scoreline might have told a different story.
He admitted uncertainty about one particular sequence in the Spartak versus Ural match, noting that he did not fully understand why certain calls were made or why some actions were not counted, and he called for patience while awaiting the verdicts of the expert commission. He underscored a harsh reality of football: while post-match reviews can address certain errors, the moment the whistle blows and the scoreboard reflects the result, a great portion of the debate around a decision is resolved by time and official assessment rather than by in-match protest. Bulykin’s comments came during a discussion with socialbites.ca, where he shared his belief that refereeing mistakes happen, but the process of adjudication remains the ultimate arbiter of truth in competitive football.
In terms of match outcomes, Lokomotiv recorded a 3-1 victory against Rostov, Spartak settled for a 2-2 draw with Ural, and the club endured a defeat to CSKA in a match against Sochi. Krasnodar’s game against Torpedo ended in a 2-2 stalemate, illustrating the tightly contested nature of the recharged season and the fine margins that separate winners from riders in the table. In a related note, there were discussions during the period about Artem Dzyuba’s role with Lokomotiv and how his presence on the field translated into emotional intensity and strategic impact, including his hat-trick effort in the match against Rostov, which became a talking point for fans and pundits alike as the league continued to unfold its new chapter. This combination of strong individual performances and the ongoing debates about refereeing formed a broader picture of a league that is eager to settle its early-season narratives while navigating the turbulence that follows a lengthy winter pause.