Overview
- Kozlov was formally confirmed by Dynamo’s board on December 17, following his stint as acting head coach after Aleksey Kudasov’s resignation.
- Ravil Yakubov joined on December 18 as senior coach, a club alumnus who previously worked on Dynamo’s staff from 2007 to 2009 and later coached at Neftekhimik, Vityaz and CSKA.
- Under Kozlov, Dynamo lost the first two games then won seven straight, climbing to fourth in the KHL Western Conference with 48 points across nine outings.
- Kozlov returned to Dynamo as an assistant in September after serving in the role from 2021 to May 2025; his résumé includes head coaching Khimik and assistant stints at Spartak, Avangard and Kunlun.
- Hall of Famer Vyacheslav Fetisov publicly backed the move, saying Kozlov has long been ready to lead a KHL club and wishing him success.