Nikita Kotin

Nikita Kotin came through the Krylia Sovetov Samara academy before moving to CSKA Moscow in January 2020, though he never made a senior appearance in the capital. His progress instead came through a string of loans that took him around the Russian lower divisions. At Sokol Saratov he made 28 appearances and scored twice in the Second League, and a similar run followed at Shinnik Yaroslavl, where he again played 28 times and found the net once in the First League. A brief loan at Dynamo Makhachkala brought his only taste of the Russian Premier League, a single appearance, alongside four outings in the Russian Cup.

Rostov held his registration for close to four years, but first-team opportunities there were limited, and it was the loan spells that shaped his development. Kotin returned to Shinnik on loan in February 2025, and the move became permanent that July on a free transfer.

At youth level, Kotin was a regular in Russia's age-group sides. He collected caps for the under-16s, then moved up to the under-17s, where he scored twice in 13 appearances and started all three group matches at the 2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. A further run of caps followed with the under-18s. He has not featured for the senior national team.