Butyrskaya re-emerged as a contender in the 1995–96 season, winning a silver behind Michelle Kwan at the 1995 Nations Cup. She qualified for the first-ever Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, where she finished seventh. She was one of two women to beat Kwan that year at Centennial on Ice, taking silver behind Slutskaya in front of her home fans. Butyrskaya won her first European medal, a bronze, at the 1996 European Championships. At the 1996 World Championships in Edmonton, she missed a triple loop late in her free skate and finished 4th, losing the bronze to Slutskaya.