The league was expanded to 16 after the last season, during which number of clubs left the Soviet competitions (from Georgia and Baltic states).
[1] (league appearances and goals listed in brackets) Goalkeepers: Mikhail Yeremin (15 / -14), Dmitri Kharine (11 / -8), Aleksandr Guteyev (6 / -10).
Transferred in during the season: Dmitri Kharine (from Dynamo Moscow), Lev Matveyev (from Zvezda Perm), Sergey Dmitriev (from Xerez CD), Viktor Yanushevsky (from Tennis Borussia).
Midfielders: Hennadiy Perepadenko (28 / 5), Valery Karpin (28 / 3), Aleksandr Mostovoi (27 / 13), Andrei Ivanov (23), Igor Shalimov (22 / 5), Fyodor Cherenkov (22 / 3), Oleg Ivanov (14), Valeri Popovitch (6), Igor Kozlov (2), Oleg Imrekov (1), Aleksandr Karatayev (1), Serhiy Perepadenko (1).
Transferred out during the season: Igor Shalimov (to Foggia), Vasili Kulkov, Aleksandr Mostovoi (both to Benfica), Valeri Shmarov (to Karlsruher SC), Boris Pozdnyakov, Oleg Imrekov (both to FC Stahl Linz), Sergei Bazulev (to OLS), Andrei Mokh (to Espanyol), Hennadiy Perepadenko (to Hapoel Tzafririm).
Transferred in during the season: Aleksandr Podshivalov (from Ararat Yerevan), Aleksei Yushkov, Yuri Matveyev (both from Uralmash Sverdlovsk), Igor Chugainov (from Lokomotiv Moscow), Vladimir Yeryomin (from Chornomorets Odesa).
), Vadim Rogovskoy (free agent), Oleg Shirinbekov (to Vasas SC), Vladimir Yeryomin (to FC Metalurh Zaporizhzhia), Aleksei Yushkov (to Dynamo Moscow), Aleksandr Gitselov (to Zagłębie Lubin), Sergei Zhukov, Aleksei Arefyev (both to Abahani Dhaka), Yuri Matveyev (to Uralmash Yekaterinburg), Aleksandr Kuzmichyov (to Lokomotiv Moscow).