Zelimkhan Bakaev has departed Zenit St. Petersburg following the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2024/25 season. The club announced on June 5 that they would not be renewing the midfielder’s contract.

Bakaev joined Zenit on June 15, 2022, as a free agent from Spartak Moscow. During his time with Zenit, he participated in 34 official matches, contributing three goals and three assists.

He won two Russian Premier League titles (2022/23, 2023/24), one Russian Cup, and two Russian Super Cups with the team.

In the fall of 2023, Bakaev was loaned to Al-Wahda in the UAE for the first half of the season. Upon his return to Russia, he was then loaned to Khimki near Moscow for the second half of the championship.

A native of Nazran, Ingushetia, Bakaev is a Spartak Moscow academy graduate. He played 75 matches for Spartak, scoring nine goals and becoming a prominent young player between 2018 and 2022.

Bakaev earned 13 caps for the Russian national team, scoring one goal, after being called up in 2019. Despite his successes, he struggled to secure a regular starting position at Zenit and was primarily used as a squad rotation player.

The next chapter in Zelimkhan Bakaev’s career remains unconfirmed.