Soccer / Football : Russia : Premier League 2009

FC Moscow has pulled out of the Russian league a month before the start of the season because of financial problems and lack of sponsorship. The club is owned by Russian metals giant Norilsk Nickel and run by a subsidiary, Sports Projects. The subsidiary said Friday that it could not justify investing in Moscow.

Igor Semshov has sealed a return to Dynamo Moscow from Premier-Liga rivals Zenit St. Petersburg. The Russian international midfielder, 31, has signed a three-year contract with the side he played for between 2006 until 2008 before moving to Zenit. Semshov spent eight years at Torpedo before a three-season spell at Dynamo and then Zenit, picking up 42 international caps along the way.

Rubin Kazan have completed the signing of Moldovan goalkeeper Ilie Cebanu from Wisla Krakow. The son of Moldovan Football Association president Pavel Cebanu has agreed a three-year contract with the Russia champions. The 23-year-old spent two-and-a-half years at Krakow but played only six league matches for the Polish club.

Zenit St. Petersburg have strengthened their squad ahead of the new season by signing their former striker Aleksandr Kerzhakov on a four-year contract from Dinamo Moscow. The 27-year-old became Zenit's most prolific top-flight scorer with 64 league goals in 159 matches between 2001 and 2006, a record which still stands. Capped 50 times by Russia, Kerzhakov was under contract for another year with Dinamo. Uruguay forward Luis Aguiar has also left Dinamo for his former club, the 24-year-old signing on loan with Portugal's Braga until the summer.

Ukraine striker Andriy Voronin has left Liverpool to join Dinamo Moscow on a three-year contract. The 30-year-old had returned to Anfield in the summer after a successful loan spell at Hertha Berlin last season, but he has made little impact and says he is delighted to be heading to Russia. Voronin moved to Liverpool in 2007 from Bayer Leverkusen after 12 years in Germany but scored only five goals in 27 league appearances for the English club.

CSKA Moscow have secured the services of Ivorian forward Seydou Doumbia from Young Boys on a five-year contract. The 22-year-old has scored 16 goals in 13 league matches this season, after getting 20 last season to be voted player of the year in Switzerland. Doumbia will complete his move to CSKA in the summer. Meanwhile, playmaker Daniel Carvalho and strikers Ricardo Jesus and Moussa Maazou have departed on loan, to Al Arabi, Larissa and Braga respectively.

CSKA Moscow have signed Japan midfielder Keisuke Honda from VVV Venlo on a four-year contract. No details have been released of a transfer fee. The 23-year-old playmaker joined Venlo from Nagoya in 2008 and he scored 24 goals in 68 league fixtures. Nicknamed '‘Keizer Keisuke' by fans at the De Koel Stadium, he had been linked with moves to Liverpool, Everton and a number of other top Dutch sides in recent weeks. However, he has elected to join CSKA.

CSKA Moskva have signed goalkeeper Sergey Chepchugov from Sibir Novosibirsk and defender Kirill Nababkin from FC Moscow. Nababkin, 23, started his career with Moskva, making his debut in 2005 and appearing in 64 league matches. Chepchugov played for Metallurg Krasnoyarsk, Sibiryak Bratsk and Riga before joining Sibir in August 2008. He helped them to finish runners-up in the Russian second tier and gain promotion last season.