Kirill Stepanov

Kirill Stepanov came through the youth ranks at home in Kaliningrad, starting out at SShOR-5 under coaches Boris Elkin and Valery Yadov before a spell at the Strogino academy in Moscow and a return to his home school. He joined Baltika's youth system in 2022 and worked his way through the club's academy and reserve side, racking up around 50 appearances and seven goals for Baltika-2 in the Second League.

His first-team debut came in the Russian Cup against CSKA Moscow, and it was one to remember: with the match locked at 1:1, Stepanov struck the equaliser in the third minute of stoppage time, then held his nerve to convert his kick as CSKA edged the shootout 9:10. He made his Mir RPL debut, coming off the bench late on in a goalless draw with Rostov. In January 2026 his contract at Baltika was extended to 2030.

The summer of 2026 brought a loan move to Volga Ulyanovsk for the FNL season, though playing time was scarce — three appearances totalling 52 minutes, including a defeat away to Eneisey, a home win over Torpedo Moscow and a win at KAMAZ, without a goal or assist to show for it. The loan was cut short by mutual agreement in August, and he moved on to Sibir Novosibirsk on loan until the middle of 2027. Earlier in his career, Stepanov had also been called up to Russia's under-16 side for training camps and matches.