FC Zarya Luhansk
| Full name | Футбольный клуб «Заря» Луганск - Football Club Zarya Luhansk |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2023[1] |
| Chairman | Araik Asatryan[2] |
| Manager | Aleksey Muldarov |
| League | Russian Second League B Group 1 |
| 2026 | just promoted |
FC Zarya Luhansk is a football team from the city of Luhansk which will play in the Russian Second League B Group 1 in the 2026 season. Formed in December 2023, it played two seasons in the Commonwealth League (a tournament for teams from the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine) and the Rostov Region championship.[3] Its head coach during the two Commonwealth League seasons was Maksim Tishchenko[4]. He was then replaced by current head coach Aleksey Muldarov.
The formation of a club with a name almost identical to that of FC Zorya Luhansk, which had been based in Luhansk until relocating to Zaporizhzhia due to the Russian invasion and occupation, has led to it being described as a "fake team" and a "rip-off of Ukraine’s Zorya Luhansk".[5]
References
- ^ "Zarya has entered: the team from Lugansk will play in the Second League". 18 February 2026. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ "A Fake Luhansk 'Zorya' Will Play in Russia". 19 October 2025. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ "Zarya has entered: the team from Lugansk will play in the Second League". 18 February 2026. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
- ^ "A Fake Luhansk 'Zorya' Will Play in Russia". 19 October 2025. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ^ "How a rip-off of Ukraine's Zorya Luhansk are climbing Russia's pyramid". 20 April 2025. Retrieved 21 February 2026.