came first, finishing with dignity "Soviet" phase of its history. A step away from total collapse (1992–1995) After the collapse of the Soviet Union broke up into separate tournaments and the championship of the Union. The result is that instead of the union "buffer" league "Rubin" was the first league of first Championship of Russia. In season 1992, it consisted of three territorial zones. Kazan had been included in the central. In winter, from Moscow came the tragic news – on 13 February died Ivan Zolotukhin. After Zolotukhin a head coach of Rubin became Alexander Ivchenko, previously worked with Omsk Irtysh. In the off-season left the team: Kalachev Igor, Sergei Surov and who decided to continue a career in Poland, Vladimir Gavrilov. Ivchenko brought from Omsk scorer Marat Mulasheva and midfielder Sergei Osipov, came from the Kirov technically Moiseev. The first game in the championship of Russia on 25 April Rubin lost to Metallurg Magnitogorsk (0–1). Then, in Bashkortostan got its first victory – over Gastello from Ufa, the only goal scored Vadim Potapov. In Kazan, the fans saw their team on 6 May, when in a double-edged uncompromising struggle was beaten Chelyabinsk "Zenit" (3–2). FC Rubin Kazan during the season was in the area 5–7 positions. The leadership in the area immediately took KAMAZ, which in the end got the only ticket to the major league. In 1993, "Rubin" got a task to take in the tournament of central zone of the first league place no lower than seventh. The reason for this was that from next season the best in the championship-93 teams of three zones were to form a single first league (the current first division), in which representatives from the central zone were "booked" 7 vacancies. Shortly after the start of the championship refused to finance the team its chief sponsor CAPO Gorbunov. In June, recently approved in the position of head coach Victor Avraamovich Lukashenko left "Rubin". The new coach became Mourad Vahtangovich Zadikashvili. Difficult financial situation was fixed after selling in Volgograd "Rotor" team leaders Oleg Nechaev and Rustem Khuzin (but soon returned to "Rubin" till the end of the season on loan). In the end the season Kazan finished on 8th place, only losing a point to Nizhnekamsk "Neftechimik" and dropped into the second league. The following year, 1994, coaches Zadikashvili and Semenov assemble a team literally bit by bit. Because of the