# Soviet Class B

The Soviet Football Championship, Class B (Russian: Чемпионат СССР по футболу (Класс Б), Soviet football championship (Class B)) was the second, third and for a season fourth highest division of Soviet football, below the Soviet Class A and then the Soviet Class A Second Group.

## Historical background
### Creation

The league was formed in 1950 as the second tier of football competitions in the Soviet Union in place of the Second Group of the Soviet football championship (1949 Soviet First League). Before the start of the 1950 season, there was an idea to include representatives of all 15 union republics. On behalf of the Soviet Council of Ministers, the chairman of the Committee of Physical Culture and Sports Arkadiy Apollonov presented to Mikhail Suslov the season's draft which included 27 teams representing 15 union republics. "The team from the Karelo-Finnish SSR due to lack of trained personnel was not included in participation of the Soviet Union championship", explained Arkadiy Apollonov.
Suslov sent the presentation to Kalashnikov and Sushkov to learn more about the issue. Those two came up with an alternative draft which they presented Georgy Malenkov rather than Suslov.

### Further development

In 1960 Class B was split by republican (regional) principle and there existed Class B of the Russian SFSR, Class B of Ukraine, Class B of Union republics, Class B of Kazakhstan, Class B of Central Asia. With the expansion of Soviet Class A in 1963, the Soviet Class B was downgraded to the third tier and in 1970 even further to the fourth tier. Before 1971 it was abolished.

## Winners
### Second tier

| Season | Winner | Winner | Runners-up | Third |
| 1950 | VMS Moscow | VMS Moscow | Torpedo Gorkiy | Spartakas Vilnius |
| 1951 | Kalinin | Kalinin | Dinamo Minsk | Lokomotiv Moscow |
| 1952 | Kharkiv | Spartakas Vilnius | FC Lokomotyv Kharkiv | FC VMS Moscow |
| 1952 | Ivanovo | DO Tbilisi | FC Krasnoe Znamya Ivanovo | FC Dinamo Alma-Ata |
| 1952 | Baku | Neftçi PFK | FC Burevestnik Chișinău | FC Torpedo Gorky |
| 1952 | Final | Lokomotyv Kharkiv | Spartakas Vilnius | DO Tbilisi |
| 1953 | Zone 1 | FC Spartaki Tbilisi | FC Dynamo Yerevan | FC Torpedo Rostov-on-Don |
| 1953 | Zone 2 | FC Znamya Ivanovo | FC Dinamo Minsk | FC Metalurh Odessa |
| 1953 | Zone 3 | FC Shakhtar Stalino | FC Torpedo Gorky | FC Metalurh Zaporizhia |
| 1953 | Final | Dinamo Minsk | Torpedo Gorkiy | Shakhtar Stalino |
| 1954 | Zone 1 | FC Spartak Yerevan | Neftçi PFK | ODO Tbilisi |
| 1954 | Zone 2 | FC Zenit Moscow | Spartakas Vilnius | FC Khimik Moscow |
| 1954 | Zone 3 | FC Shakhtar Stalino | FC Torpedo Rostov-on-Don | FC Metalurh Zaporizhia |
| 1954 | Final | Shakhtar Stalino | Spartakas Vilnius | Neftchi Baku |
| 1955 | Zone 1 | Burevestnik Chisinau | Spartak Kalinin | ODO Kiev |
| 1955 | Zone 2 | ODO Sverdlovsk | Spartak Yerevan | ODO Tbilisi |
| 1956 | Zone 1 | Spartak Minsk | Torpedo Taganrog | Metalurh Zaporizhia |
| 1956 | Zone 2 | Krylya Sovetov Kuybyshev | ODO Tbilisi | Spartak Yerevan |
| 1957 | Zone 1 | FC Avangard Leningrad | FC Torpedo Taganrog | FC Avanhard Kharkiv |
| 1957 | Zone 2 | FC Spartak Stanislav | SKVO Lviv | FC Trudovyie Rezervy Leningrad |
| 1957 | Zone 3 | SKVO Tbilisi | FC Spartak Yerevan | Neftçi PFK |
| 1957 | Far East | SKVO Khabarovsk | FC Dynamo Vladivostok | FC Burevestnik Tomsk |
| 1957 | Final | Avangard Leningrad | Spartak Stanislav | SKVO Tbilisi |
| 1958 | Zone 1 | SKVO Odessa | FC Trudovyie Rezervy Leningrad | FC Avanhard Mykolaiv |
| 1958 | Zone 2 | SKCF Sevastopol | FC Metalurh Zaporizhia | FC Rostselmash Rostov-on-Don |
| 1958 | Zone 3 | SKVO Lviv | Spartak Minsk | FC Lokomotyv Vinnytsia |
| 1958 | Zone 4 | SKVO Rostov-on-Don | FC Spartak Yerevan | FC Kuban Krasnodar |
| 1958 | Zone 5 | SKVO Sverdlovsk | FC Kairat Alma-Ata | FC Zvezda Perm |
| 1958 | Zone 6 | SKVO Khabarovsk | FC Tomich Tomsk | FC Urozhai Barnaul |
| 1958 | Final | SKVO Rostov-na-Donu | SKVO Sverdlovsk | SKCF Sevastopol |
| 1959 | Zone 1 | FC Trud Voronezh | FC Dynamo Kirov | FC Avanhard Mykolaiv |
| 1959 | Zone 2 | FC Trudovyie Rezervy Leningrad | FC Trud Glukhovo | FC Avanhard Kharkiv |
| 1959 | Zone 3 | FC Spartak Yerevan | FC Terek Grozny | FC Torpedo Taganrog |
| 1959 | Zone 4 | FC Lokomotyv Vinnytsia | FC Baltika Kaliningrad | SKVO Odessa |
| 1959 | Zone 5 | FC Admiralteyets Leningrad | FC Volga Kalinin | FC Zenit Izhevsk |
| 1959 | Zone 6 | FC Pamir Leninabad | FC Mashinostroitel Sverdlovsk | FC Metallurg Magnitogorsk |
| 1959 | Zone 7 | SKVO Sverdlovsk | FC Lokomotiv Krasnoyarsk | SKVO Khabarovsk |
| 1959 | Russia Final | Admiralteyets Leningrad | Trudovyie Reservy Leningrad | Trud Voronezh |
| 1960 | Russia I | FC Trud Voronezh | FC Spartak Leningrad | FC Shakhter Stalinogorsk |
| 1960 | Russia II | FC Volga Kalinin | FC Shinnik Yaroslavl | FC Dynamo Kirov |
| 1960 | Russia III | FC Terek Grozny | FC Torpedo Taganrog | FC Spartak Krasnodar |
| 1960 | Russia IV | FC Metallurg Nizhny Tagil | FC Zvezda Perm | FC Lokomotiv Chelyabinsk |
| 1960 | Russia V | FC Irtysh Omsk | SKA Khabarovsk | FC Sibelektromotor Tomsk |
| 1960 | Russia Final | Trud Voronezh | FC Irtysh Omsk | Volga Kalinin |
| 1960 | Ukraine I | Sudnobudivnyk Mykolaiv | FC Lokomotyv Vinnytsia | FC Arsenal Kyiv |
| 1960 | Ukraine II | FC Metalurh Zaporizhia | SKA Odessa | FC Trudovi Rezervy Luhansk |
| 1960 | Ukraine Final | Metalurh Zaporizhzhya | Sudobudivnyk Mykolaiv | |
| 1960 | Republics I | FC Lokomotivi Tbilisi | FC Urozhai Minsk | FC Shirak Leninakan |
| 1960 | Republics II | FC Torpedo Kutaisi | FC Pamir Leninabad | FC Progress Baku |
| 1960 | Republics Final | Torpedo Kutaisi | Lokomotivi Tbilisi | |
| 1961 | Russia I | FC Volga Kalinin | FC Metallurg Cherepovets | FC Dynamo Leningrad |
| 1961 | Russia II | FC Dynamo Kirov | FC Baltika Kaliningrad | FC Iskra Kazan |
| 1961 | Russia III | FC Krylia Sovietov Kuibyshev | FC Sokol Saratov | FC Traktor Stalingrad |
| 1961 | Russia IV | FC Terek Grozny | FC Rostselmash Rostov-on-Don | FC Torpedo Taganrog |
| 1961 | Russia V | FC Lokomotiv Chelyabinsk | FC Uralmash Sverdlovsk | FC Stroitel Ufa |
| 1961 | Russia VI | SKA Khabarovsk | SKA Novosibirsk | FC Luch Vladivostok |
| 1961 | Russia Final | Krylya Sovetov Kuybyshev | Terek Grozny | Dynamo Kirov |
| 1961 | Ukraine I | FC Chornomorets Odessa | FC Lokomotyv Vinnytsia | FC Zirka Kirovohrad |
| 1961 | Ukraine II | SKA Odessa | FC Trudovi Rezervy Luhansk | FC Avanhard Zhovti Vody |
| 1961 | Ukraine Final | Chornomorets Odessa | SCA Odessa | Lokomotyv Vinnytsia |
| 1961 | Republics I | FC Lokomotivi Tbilisi | FC Shirak Leninakan | Lokomotiv Gomel |
| 1961 | Republics II | FC Torpedo Kutaisi | FC Shakhter Karaganda | FC Metallurg Rustavi |
| 1962 | Russia I | FC Shinnik Yaroslavl | FC Spartak Leningrad | FC Tekstilshchik Ivanovo |
| 1962 | Russia II | FC Trud Voronezh | FC Trudovyie Rezervy Kursk | FC Serpukhov |
| 1962 | Russia III | FC Spartak Krasnodar | FC Traktor Volgograd | FC Rostselmash Rostov-on-Don |
| 1962 | Russia IV | FC Uralmash Sverdlovsk | FC Lokomotiv Chelyabinsk | FC Iskra Kazan |
| 1962 | Russia V | SKA Novosibirsk | SKA Khabarovsk | FC Luch Vladivostok |
| 1962 | Russia Final | Spartak Krasnodar | Trud Voronezh | Uralmash Sverdlovsk |
| 1962 | Ukraine I | FC Chornomorets Odessa | FC Polissya Zhytomyr | FC Lokomotyv Donetsk |
| 1962 | Ukraine II | SKA Odessa | FC Metalurh Zaporizhia | SKA Kyiv |
| 1962 | Ukraine III | FC Trudovi Rezervy Luhansk | Avanhard Simferopol | FC Lokomotyv Vinnytsia |
| 1962 | Ukraine Final | Trudovye Rezervy Lugansk | Chornomorets Odessa | Avanhard Simferopol |
| 1962 | Republics I | Lokomotiv Gomel | FC Shirak Leninakan | FC Nairi Yerevan |
| 1962 | Republics II | FC Shakhter Karaganda | FC Alga Frunze | FC Metallurg Chimkent |
| 1962 | Republics Final | Shakhtyor Karaganda | Lokomotiv Gomel | |

### Third tier

| Season | Zone | Winner | Runners-up | Third | Notes |
| 1963 | Russia | Volga Kalinin | Dinamo Kirov | Zvezda Serpukhov | three zones |
| 1963 | Ukraine | SKA Odessa | Lokomotyv Vinnytsia | Azovstal Zhdanov | three zones |
| 1963 | Republics | Lokomotivi Tbilisi | Dinamo Batumi | | three zones |
| 1964 | Russia | Rostselmash Rostov/Don | Terek Grozny | Tekstilshchik Ivanovo | three zones |
| 1964 | Ukraine | Lokomotyv Vinnytsia | SKA Kiev | Polissya Zhytomyr | three zones |
| 1964 | Republics | Granitas Klaipėda | Vostok Ust-Kamenogorsk | Politodel Tashkent Oblast | three zones |
| 1965 | Russia | Spartak Nalchik | Rubin Kazan | Sokol Saratov | three zones |
| 1965 | Ukraine | SKA Lviv | SKA Kiev | Avanhard Zhovti Vody | three zones |
| 1965 | Republics | Dynamo Kirovobad | Dynamo Baku | Pamir Leninabad | three zones |
| 1966 | Russia | Lokomotiv Kaluga | Spartak Ordzhonikidze | Metallurg Tula | four zones |
| 1966 | Ukraine | Avanhard Zhovti Vody | Dynamo Khmelnytskyi | Lokomotyv Kherson | four zones |
| 1966 | Central Asia | Pamir Leninabad | Metallurg Chimkent | Dynamo Tselinograd | four zones |
| 1966 | Republics | Meshakhte Tkibuli | Polad Sumgayit | Neman Grodno | four zones |
| 1967 | Russia | Dinamo Makhachkala | Volga Ulyanovsk | Volgar Astrakhan | four zones |
| 1967 | Ukraine | Avtomobilist Zhytomyr | Khimik Severodonetsk | Dnipro Kremenchuk | four zones |
| 1967 | Central Asia | Zarafshon Nawoyi | Sverdlovets Tashkent Oblast | Metallurg Temirtau | four zones |
| 1967 | Republics | Neman Grodno | Polad Sumgait | | four zones |
| 1968 | Russia | Mashuk Pyatigorsk | Kalinenets Sverdlovsk | Spartak Belgorod | four zones |
| 1968 | Ukraine | Avanhard Ternopil | Bukovyna Chernivtsi | Shakhtar Kadiivka | four zones |
| 1968 | Central Asia | Sverdlovets Tashkent Oblast | Ak Altyn Andizhan Oblast | Samarqand | four zones |
| 1968 | Kazakhstan | Embek Djezkazghan | ADK Alma‑Ata | Metallurg Temirtau | four zones |
| 1969 | Russia | Druzhba Maykop | Saturn Rybinsk | Iskra Smolensk | five zones |
| 1969 | Ukraine | Spartak Ivano-Frankivsk | Shakhtar Horlivka | Spartak Sumy | five zones |
| 1969 | Central Asia | Tashavtomash Tashkent | Samarkand | Yangiyer | five zones |
| 1969 | Kazakhstan | Traktor Pavlodar | Tsementnik Semipalatinsk | Embek Djezkazghan | five zones |
| 1969 | Caucasus | Dila Gori | Guria Lanchkhuti | Avtomobilist Yerevan | five zones |

### Fourth tier

| Season | Winner | Runners-up | Notes |
| 1970 | Motor Vladimir (Russia) Terek Grozny (Russia) FC Kord Balakovo (Russia) Sakhalin Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Russia) Khimik Severodonetsk (Ukraine) Tsementnik Semipalatinsk (Kazakhstan) Zarafshon Nawoyi (Central Asia) | Spartak Kostroma (Russia) FC Spartak Ryazan (Russia) Neftianik Tumen (Russia) Vulkan Petropavlovsk‑Kamtchatski (Russia) Lokomotyv Vinnytsia (Ukraine) Traktor Pavlodar (Kazakhstan) Janguier (Central Asia) | seven zones, four in RSFSR |