After tasting success in more than half of the countries across Eastern Europe, Russian manager Vladimir Latunov, with all due respect, took a major step down in quality in the next leg of his Soviet Surge in the summer of 2031.
An unbeaten start to the Ukrainian Premier League had Vladimir Latunov in prime position to win a seventh national title in his Soviet Surge - in which he was bidding to win all 13 leagues in Eastern Europe.
After success in winning the national title in six of the 13 target countries in his Soviet Surge journey, Russian manager Vladimir Latunov landed one of the biggest managerial roles in Eastern Europe in the summer of 2030.
Having led Rijeka to the Croatian title, Russian manager Vladimir Latunov continued his Soviet Surge across Eastern Europe by joining his seventh club in six countries. And that side was FCSB in Romania.
HNK Rijeka were right in the mix for the Croatian title, just six points behind the almost unbeatable Dinamo Zagreb. Their efforts had once again been led by free-scoring striker Zijad Handzic, while the club's owners were reportedly worried by manager Vladimir Latunov walking away at the end of his contract in the summer.
A first season in Croatia ended without a trophy but offered glimpses of promise, including a potential superstar striker smashing goalscoring records. However, the HNK Rijeka board were unhappy with Vladimir Latunov not signing high-reputation players, which he immediately set about addressing in the summer of 2028.
Life in Croatia had gotten off to a solid start but a worrying dip towards the last month or so of 2027 had Vladimir Latunov slightly concerned about the strength of his new HNK Rijeka side. With that in mind, he used a 50-day winter break to begin spending the £20 million or so transfer kitty available to him.
Having wrapped up the national title in Czech Republic, adding to those in Poland, Turkey and Hungary, it was time for Russian manager Vladimir Latunov to spread his wings once more. He'd resigned from Viktoria Plzen and eventually wrapped up a move to Croatia with HNK Rijeka.
Life in the Czech Republic had gotten off to a flying, goal-filled start for Vladimir Latunov in his first six months with Viktoria Plzen. But he now faced a two-month winter break to explore his new country and assess some of the exciting youngsters his scouts had been busy discovering.
Having wrapped up a title in Hungary, following previous success in Poland and Turkey, Russian manager Vladimir Latunov was swiftly on his way to the Czech Republic to join Viktoria Plzen in May 2026. He signed a two-year deal worth £4,200-per-week.
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