2012–13 Russian Premier League
The 2012–13 Russian Premier League was the 21st season of the Russian football championship since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and 11th under the current Russian Premier League name. It began on 21 July 2012 and ended on 26 May 2013, with a winter break between the weekends around 13 December 2012 and 10 March 2013.
| Season | 2012–13 |
|---|---|
| Champions | CSKA Moscow |
| Relegated | Mordovia Saransk Alania Vladikavkaz |
| Champions League | CSKA Moscow Zenit St. Petersburg |
| Europa League | Anzhi Makhachkala Spartak Moscow Kuban Krasnodar Rubin Kazan |
| Matches played | 240 |
| Goals scored | 627 (2.61 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Yura Movsisyan Wánderson (13 goals) |
| Biggest home win | Alania 5–0 Terek Zenit 5–0 Spartak Krasnodar 6–1 Mordovia |
| Biggest away win | Krylia Sovetov 0–5 Spartak |
| Highest scoring | Kuban 6–2 Volga |
← 2011–12 2013–14 → | |
16 teams from 12 cities compete in the season, with Zenit St. Petersburg as defending champions. For the first time since 2005, no Siberian clubs take part.
This was the first season in Russian football history to be played on the basis of the autumn/spring calendar, rather than the spring/autumn schedule traditionally used in Russia due to climate conditions.
A total of sixteen teams participate in the league, the best fourteen sides of the 2011–12 season and two promoted clubs from the 2011–12 National Football League.