2009 Russian Premier League
The 2009 Russian Premier League was the 18th season of the Russian football championship since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and 8th under the current Russian Premier League name. The season started on 14 March 2009 with a goalless draw between Amkar Perm and Rostov. The last matches were played on 29 November 2009. On 21 November 2009 Rubin Kazan successfully retained their champion's title. Teams. As in the previous season, 16 teams played in the 2009 season. After the 2008 season, Shinnik Yaroslavl and Luch-Energiya Vladivostok were relegated to the 2009 Russian  First Division. They were replaced by Rostov and Kuban Krasnodar, the winners and runners up of the 2008 Russian First Division. Venues. Dynamo Moscow played their home games during the 2009 season at the new Arena Khimki, due to their Dynamo Stadium undergoing renovation work. League table. <onlyinclude></onlyinclude> Awards. On 24 November 2009 Russian Football Union named its list of 33 top players: