The VVA-Podmoskovje is a Russian rugby union

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

 team currently playing in the Professional Rugby League

Professional Rugby League

Professional Rugby League is the premier rugby union competition in Russia. The Professional League was formed in 2005 and succeeds the Superleague. The Superleague, in turn, was active from 1992 to 2004 and succeeded the Soviet Championship....

. The team plays at Gagarin Air Force Academy

Gagarin Air Force Academy

Gagarin Air Force Academy is the name of a Russian military aviation academy located in Monino , Moscow Region.Gagarin Air Force Academy is one of the leading military educational institutions preparing high ranking military personnel for the Russian Air Force.Among the academy alumni are around...

 stadium in Monino

Monino

Monino is an urban locality in Shchyolkovsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, situated east of Moscow. Population:...

, a garrison town just outside Moscow

Moscow

Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

. VVA-Podmoskovye have strong links to the air force and also supply the bulk of Russia

Russia national rugby union team

The Russian National Rugby Union Team, is the national team representing Russia at the sport of rugby union.Rugby union in Russia is administered by the Rugby Union of Russia . The RUR is the official successor union of the Soviet Union and the combined CIS team which played in the early 1990s...

, with which they share a head coach, Nikolai Nerush. The team has ambitious plans for the future - it is lobbying hard for inclusion in the European Challenge Cup

European Challenge Cup

The European Challenge Cup, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Amlin Challenge Cup, is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup. The cup was known as the Parker Pen Shield from 2001 to 2003 and Parker Pen Challenge Cup from 2003 to 2005. The European...

 and is close to completing a 12,500-seat purpose-built rugby stadium.

VVA-Podmoskovye have won the title eight times, in 1993, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. They were also nine-time winners of the Soviet Championship.

March 2011 saw two stars depart for Aviva Premiership clubs, with Moldovan international Vadim Cobîlaş

Vadim Cobîlaş

Vadim Cobîlaş is a Moldovan rugby union player. He plays as a prop.He played for VVA-Podmoskovye Monino in Russia, before being assigned for Sale Sharks in the Aviva Premiership in England, in 2 March 2011. He is the first Moldovan rugby player to become a professional in England.Cobîlaş plays...

 joining former Russia coach Steve Diamond at Sale Sharks

Sale Sharks

Sale Sharks are a professional rugby union club who play in England in the Aviva Premiership.The club is an offshoot of Sale FC, which is based at Heywood Road in Sale, Greater Manchester, but Sharks currently play in Stockport at Edgeley Park, ground sharing with Stockport County F.C.Part of the...

 and Russian international Vasily Artemiev

Vasily Artemiev

-Career:Artemyev's representative honours include Leinster Schools,U19’s & U20’s, Irish Schools & Irish U’19’s. Vasily came to Blackrock College school from Russia and won schools Junior Cup and Senior Cup medals there...

 joining Northampton Saints

Northampton Saints

Northampton Saints are a professional rugby union club from Northampton, England. The Northampton Saints were formed in 1880. They play in green, black and gold colours. They play their home games at Franklin's Gardens, which has a capacity of 13,591....

.

Championships

• Soviet Champions: 1969, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985, 1986.
• Superleague Champions: 1993, 2003, 2004.
• Professional Rugby League Champions: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010.

Current squad

International honours

Maxim Cobîlaş Andrei Romanov Alexei Cotruţă Karolis Navickas Alexander Khrokin

Alexander Khrokin

Alexander Khrokin is a rugby union footballer who plays as a prop. Khrokin was part of the Russian squad at the 2011 Rugby World Cup.-External links:**...

 Alexey Travkin Alexey Volkov Vladislav Korshunov

Vladislav Korshunov

Vladislav Korshunov is a Russian rugby union player. He plays as a hooker.He plays for VVA-Podmoskovye Monino, a professional Russian team....

 Vladimir Marchenko

Vladimir Marchenko

Vladimir Marchenko is a Ukrainian mathematician who specializes in mathematical physics, in particular in the analysis of the Sturm–Liouville operators. He introduced one of the approaches to the inverse problem for Sturm–Liouville operators...

 Artem Fatakhov Victor Kobzev Alexander Voytov Kirill Kushnarev Evgeniy Matveev Viktor Gresev Alexander Shakirov Alexander Yanyushkin

Alexander Yanyushkin

Alexander Yanyushkin is a Russian rugby union player. He plays as a fly-half and as a scrum-half.He currently plays for VVA-Podmoskovye Monino, in the Russian Professional League....

 Yuriy Kushnarev Mikhail Babaev Sergeï Trishin Sergeï Shishkov Alexeï Andreev Vasily Artemiev

Vasily Artemiev

-Career:Artemyev's representative honours include Leinster Schools,U19’s & U20’s, Irish Schools & Irish U’19’s. Vasily came to Blackrock College school from Russia and won schools Junior Cup and Senior Cup medals there...

 Oleg Kobzev Igor Kliuchnikov Andreï Kuzin

External links

• http://www.heavensgame.com/russian-pro-league/russian-league-expands-for-2010