Khimki will depart from the Russian Premier League at the close of the current season. A day earlier, Pari NN crushed Sochi 4-0 in the 28th round, and Khimki then watched their chances of staying in Russia’s top flight slip away. The outcome sharpened the sense that Khimki’s time in the Premier League is coming to a close after a campaign that has been tough from the start.
In the Moscow region, the club sits second from bottom, 15th, with 18 points after 28 matches. With just two weeks remaining in the 2022/2023 season, Khimki trails Nizhny Novgorod by eight points, extending the pressure on a side that has struggled for consistency throughout the campaign. The situation mirrors a broader pattern, as Torpedo Moscow is also poised to drop out of the Premier League after collecting only 13 points and finishing in last place. This season’s relegation narrative underscores the volatility of club football in Russia and the margins that decide fates at the end of a long race.
On a related note, Baltika Kaliningrad and Rubin Kazan are confirmed to be promoted from the First Division to the Premier League, a major reshuffle that will reshape the league’s balance next year. The admission of these two clubs signals a broader lift in competition and the challenges for newly promoted teams to establish a foothold among the established Premier League clubs.
Artem Lisovsky, who previously served as the press attaché for Rodina football club, stated that the team underwent licensing procedures with the Russian Football Union committee and earned the right to compete in the Premier League. Lisovsky’s remarks reflect the often intricate process clubs navigate to secure a place in Russia’s top flight, where licensing standards assess financial stability, infrastructure, youth development capabilities, and overall organizational health. This background helps explain how some clubs secure their status even in periods of on-field difficulty, while others fall short despite moments of performance—reminding readers that the Premier League is as much about off-field governance as it is about results on the pitch.