| Team | 1991 league and position | Head coach |
|---|
| FC Zhemchuzhina-Amerus Enterprises Sochi | Soviet Second League B, Zone 4, 1st
(as FC Zhemchuzhina Sochi) | Arsen Naydyonov |
| FC Uralan Elista | Soviet Second League B, Zone 4, 2nd | Arnold Lendengolts |
| FC Gekris Novorossiysk | Soviet Second League, Center, 13th
(as FC Tsement Novorossiysk) | Oleg Dolmatov |
| FC Druzhba Maykop | Soviet Second League, Center, 15th | Nurbiy Khakunov |
| FC Terek Grozny | Soviet Second League, Center, 5th | Khaydar Alkhanov |
| FC Dynamo Vologda | Soviet Second League B, Zone 6, 4th | Leon Agubyants |
| FC Metallurg Lipetsk | Soviet Second League, Center, 4th | Aleksandr Ignatenko |
| PFC Spartak Nalchik | Soviet Second League, West, 17th | Kazbek Tlyarugov |
| FC Spartak Anapa | Soviet Second League B, Zone 5, 1st | Akop Kalandzhan |
| FC Torpedo Vladimir | Soviet Second League, Center, 3rd | Yuri Pyanov |
| FC Asmaral Kislovodsk | Soviet Second League B, Zone 4, 3rd
(as FC Narzan Kislodovsk) | Gennadi Sarychev (until July)
Eduard Malofeyev (from July) |
| FC Torpedo Taganrog | Soviet Second League, West, 6th | Valeri Volodin (until July)
Anatoly Bulgakov (from August) |
| FC Nart Cherkessk | Soviet Second League, Center, 17th | Leonid Shlyak |
| FC APK Azov | Soviet Second League, Center, 16th | Aleksandr Irkhin (until July)
Vladimir Inyutin (from September) |
| FC Tekstilshchik Ivanovo | Soviet Second League B, Zone 6, 2nd | Vladimir Belkov |
| FC Energomash Belgorod | Soviet Second League B, Zone 5, 4th | Viktor Prokhorov |
| FC Prometey-Dynamo St. Petersburg | Soviet Second League B, Zone 6, 1st | Vladimir Pronin (until May)
Vladimir Goncharov (from June) |
| FC Trion-Volga Tver | Soviet Second League, Center, 20th
(as FC Volga Tver) | Viktor Arzhanykh (until August)
Boris Zhuravlyov (from September) | |
| Team | 1991 league and position | Head coach |
|---|
| FC KAMAZ Naberezhnye Chelny | Soviet Second League, Center, 10th | Valeri Chetverik |
| FC Torpedo Ryazan | Soviet Second League, Center, 12th | Sergei Nedosekin |
| FC Zvezda Perm | Soviet Second League, Center, 14th | Viktor Slesarev |
| FC Torpedo Volzhsky | Soviet Second League, Center, 7th | Oleg Dudarin |
| FC Rubin-TAN Kazan | Soviet Second League B, Zone 7, 1st
(as FC Rubin Kazan) | Aleksandr Ivchenko (until August) |
| FC Lada Togliatti | Soviet Second League, Center, 6th | Anatoli Tyryatkin (until August)
Vladimir Yevsyukov (from September) |
| FC Sokol Saratov | Soviet Second League, Center, 8th | Aleksandr Koreshkov |
| FC Uralets Nizhny Tagil | Soviet Second League B, Zone 7, 3rd | Viktor Konshin |
| FC Torpedo Miass | Soviet Second League B, Zone 7, 4th | Vladimir Khitrin |
| FC Zenit Izhevsk | Soviet Second League, Center, 9th | Valeri Salnikov |
| FC Druzhba Yoshkar-Ola | Soviet Second League B, Zone 7, 5th | Geliy Putevskoy |
| FC Zenit Chelyabinsk | Soviet Second League B, Zone 7, 6th | Mirgarifan Shafigulin |
| FC Svetotekhnika Saransk | Soviet Second League B, Zone 5, 2nd | Vladimir Solovyov |
| FC Lada Dimitrovgrad | first professional season | Aleksandr Samygin |
| FC Metallurg Magnitogorsk | Soviet Second League B, Zone 7, 2nd | Viktor Lukashenko |
| FC Atommash Volgodonsk | Soviet Second League B, Zone 4, 5th | Aleksandr Rakov |
| FC Gastello Ufa | Soviet Second League, Center, 18th | Yuri Surenskiy |
| FC Dynamo Kirov | Soviet Second League B, Zone 7, 7th | Aleksandr Vozhegov (until August)
Boris Ulitin (from September) | |
| Team | 1991 league and position | Head coach |
|---|
| FC Luch Vladivostok | Soviet Second League B, Zone 10, 8th | Lev Burchalkin (until August)
Aleksandr Ivchenko (from August) |
| FC Irtysh Omsk | Soviet Second League B, Zone 10, 3rd | Vyacheslav Martynov |
| FC Lokomotiv Chita | Soviet Second League B, Zone 10, 1st | Aleksandr Kovalyov |
| FC Chkalovets-FoKuMiS Novosibirsk | Soviet Second League B, Zone 10, 4th
(as FC Chkalovets Novosibirsk) | Valeri Yerkovich |
| FC Selenga Ulan-Ude | Soviet Second League B, Zone 10, 12th | Yuri Zubkov |
| FC Zvezda-Yunis-Sib Irkutsk | Soviet Second League, East, 6th
(as FC Zvezda Irkutsk) | Sergey Muratov |
| FC Tom Tomsk | Soviet Second League B, Zone 10, 6th | Vladimir Pomeshchikov |
| FC Dynamo Yakutsk | Soviet Second League B, Zone 10, 10th | Yuri Pudyshev |
| FC Metallurg Novokuznetsk | Soviet Second League B, Zone 10, 5th | Vladislav Sosnov |
| FC Metallurg Krasnoyarsk | Soviet Second League B, Zone 10, 7th | Aleksandr Kishinyovskiy |
| FC Kuzbass Kemerovo | Soviet Second League, East, 7th | Aleksandr Krasnozhyonov |
| FC Dynamo Barnaul | Soviet Second League, East, 15th | Viktor Volynkin |
| FC Sakhalin Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk | Soviet Second League, East, 19th | B. Tibilov |
| FC SKA Khabarovsk | Soviet Second League B, Zone 10, 2nd | Vladimir Bychek |
| FC Amur Blagoveshchensk | Soviet Second League, East, 13th | Anatoli Kulik |
| FC Amur Komsomolsk-na-Amure | Soviet Second League B, Zone 10, 11th | Yevgeni Kozhemyako | |
Gocha Gogrichiani
Eduard Kugotov
Garnik Avalyan