Kairat have parted company with head coach Rafael Urazbakhtin after the Almaty club lost their chance to win a third consecutive Kazakhstan Premier League title.
The 47-year-old submitted his resignation, which was accepted by the club. Zhorka Arutyunyan, previously in charge of Kairat-Zhastar, has been appointed interim head coach.
Urazbakhtin’s departure came a day after Kairat drew 2-2 away to Aktobe in the 29th round of the league.
The result left Kairat on 64 points, four behind Ordabasy with one match remaining, ending their hopes of retaining the title.
Urazbakhtin took charge of Kairat’s first team in September 2024 and won the league in his first season.
In 2025, he led the club to another Kazakhstan Premier League title, the Kazakhstan Super Cup and a historic first appearance in the UEFA Champions League league phase.
Kairat have secured second place domestically this season, but their European campaign remains alive.
They have one point from their opening two UEFA Conference League matches after a 1-1 draw with Riga and a 5-1 home defeat to Panathinaikos. Their next European fixture is away to Atalanta on 5 November.
Arutyunyan will take charge for Kairat’s final league match against Altai before leading the team into the next round of Conference League fixtures.