Soccer / Football : Russia : Premier League 2010

Lokomotiv Moscow have signed Slovenia defender Branko Ilic and Brazilian striker Maicon on the eve of the new Russian season. The 20-year-old Maicon, who scored twice in 34 league games in Brazil, has joined on a four-and-a-half year contract from Brazilian side Fluminense. Ilic, 27, has agreed a two-year deal with Lokomotiv after his former club FC Moscow was disbanded last month when its main sponsor withdrew financing.

Rubin Kazan have completed the transfer of highly rated midfielder Bebars Natcho from Hapoel Tel Aviv for an undisclosed fee. The 22-year-old is a product of the Hapoel youth academy and has made 91 league games for the Israeli giants since making his official debut in the 2006/07 season. Natcho made his senior national-team debut as a second-half substitute in Israel's 2-0 friendly victory in Romania on March 3.

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.