The coaching council of the Russian Volleyball Federation (RVF) has elected Konstantin Ushakov as the new head coach of the Russian women's national team. The decision was made after a meeting where the candidates presented their programs.

For the position of head coach of the "Sbornaya", Ushakov, who is also the head coach of the club team "Zarechie", competed against Alexander Kashin (head coach of "Leningradka"), Yuri Marichev (head coach of "Proton"), and Ivan Pukh (coach-analyst of "Belogorie").

The meeting of the coaching council, where the programs were presented, was attended by key figures from the RVF leadership and expert council, including President Stanislav Shevchenko and well-known names like Vladimir Alekno and Vadim Pankov.

An official statement from the federation notes: "After a lengthy consultation, the RVF coaching council recommended Konstantin Ushakov's candidacy to the RVF presidium for the position of head coach of the Russian women's national team." Ushakov is expected to be officially confirmed in the position at an upcoming meeting of the organization's presidium.

It is recalled that the vacant post became available after the previous coach Zoran Terzić returned as head coach of the Serbian national team. As early as February, the name of 55-year-old Konstantin Ushakov was being floated as the main contender for the position.

Ushakov already has experience leading the Russian women's national team. He coached the team in 2017, taking over the position before the European Championship, replacingVladimir Kuzutkin. We recall that Kuzutkin took over the Bulgarian women's national team in 2014, replacing Marcello Abbondanza in that position.In 2017, Russia finished first in its EuroVolley group, recording victories over Ukraine (3:2), Turkey (3:1), and Bulgaria (3:2), but lost to the Turkish national team 0:3 in the quarterfinals.