1996 Russian Third League

Zone 1

Standings

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

• Gennady Korkin

• Aleksandr Kamentsev

• Narvik Sirkhayev

• Sultan Chochuyev
• Timur Zakirov

• Andranik Babayan
• Aliyar Ismailov

• Eduard Khachaturyan
• Yuri Takliyev

• Andrei Podgurskiy

Zone 2

Overview

Standings

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

• Stanislav Dubrovin

• Aleksandr Bocharnikov
• Igor Stasyuk

• Oleg Akulov

• Yevgeni Kuzka

• Sergei Borodin
• Vladimir Grishchenko
• Manuk Kakosyan
• Sergei Sedov

• Andrei Fomichyov
• Tatul Mkhitaryan
• Andrei Pakhtusov
• Aleksandr Shtyn
• Yuri Veretin

Zone 3

Overview

Standings

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

• Sergei Artyomov
• Sergei Bespalykh

• Igor Reutov

• Anatoli Balaluyev

• Aleksandr Samorodov

• Nikolai Klikin

• Aleksandr Kuptsov

• Sergei Burtsev
• Andrei Dyomkin
• Konstantin Kaynov

Zone 4

Overview

Standings

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

• Vladislav Khakhalev

• Ruslan Usikov

• Igor Aksyonov
• Valeri Korneyev

• Sergey Ulezlo

• Aleksei Barikov
• Pavel Sukhov

• Igor Varakin

• Stanislav Borisov

• Yevgeni Leonov
• Andrei Syomin
• Konstantin Taptov

Zone 5

Overview

Standings

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

• Aleksandr Khalzov

• Sergei Pervushin

• Vladimir Nosov

• Dmitri Borisko
• Andrei Eskov

• Boris Goncharov
• Vladimir Kopylov

• Aleksandr Fyodorov

• Eduard Bazarov
• Sergei Glazunov
• Yuri Plyaskevich
• Vladimir Rokunov

Zone 6

Overview

Standings

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

• Konstantin Ilyinykh

• Aleksei Alekseyev
• Yuri Petrov

• Sergei Balandin

• Sergei Afanasyev
• Igor Degtyaryov
• Albert Gubaydulin
• Dmitri Zakharov

• Vyacheslav Khovanskiy
• Yuri Panov
• Andrei Sviridov
• Yuri Vetlugayev