---
title: "Yuriy Maksymov Returns to Azerbaijan: 57-Year-Old Ukrainian Coach Takes Over Bottom-Sitting Aras-Nakhchivan"
description: "57-year-old Ukrainian coach Yuriy Maksymov has signed a contract with Azerbaijan's Aras-Nakhchivan, who are in last place in the Premier League. For the manager, this is his second experience working in Azerbaijan after winning the national Cup with Keshla."
date: 2026-09-24T07:02:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/yuriy-maksymov-takes-over-aras-nakhchivan-azerbaijan
tags: [yuriy-maksymov, araz-nakhchivan, azerbaijan-premier-league, ukrainian-coaches, football-transfers]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Yuriy Maksymov Returns to Azerbaijan: 57-Year-Old Ukrainian Coach Takes Over Bottom-Sitting Aras-Nakhchivan

![Yuriy Maksymov at a press conference in the Aras-Nakhchivan coach jacket after his appointment at the Azerbaijani club](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/24/yuriy-maksymov-vozglavil-araz-nakhchivan-azerbaidzhan/yuriy-maksymov-vozglavil-araz-nakhchivan-azerbaidzhan-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Yuriy Maksymov has signed a contract with Aras-Nakhchivan until the end of the 2026/27 season
- The club sits in 12th (last) place in the table after 6 rounds, with 2 points
- Maksymov has worked in Azerbaijan before: in 2017–2018 he coached Keshla and won the Cup
- This is the second Ukrainian coach at the club in recent times, after Andriy Demchenko (Jan–May 2026)

Renowned Ukrainian football specialist Yuriy Maksymov has officially returned to work in a foreign league. According to the club's press office, the 57-year-old coach has signed a contract with Baku's Aras-Nakhchivan, which competes in Azerbaijan's top division. The deal runs until the end of the 2026/27 season, giving the coach a full window to rebuild the squad and implement a long-term tactical vision.

### Crisis at the Bottom of the Table: What Awaits the New Coach

Maksymov's new club is in a deep on-pitch and psychological crisis. After six rounds of the Azerbaijan championship, Aras-Nakhchivan sits in last, 12th place in the standings, with just two points to their name. For a club that has consistently fought for the top of the table in recent seasons, such a position is abnormal and demands radical change. In his first interview after the appointment, Maksymov himself outlined his priority: "The first task is to climb out of last place in the standings," and he also emphasized that "the team must believe in itself."
### The Second Ukrainian Coach in a Short Period

Notably, Maksymov is already the second Ukrainian specialist to take charge of Aras-Nakhchivan in recent times. From January to May 2026, the team was coached by Andriy Demchenko, but his tenure did not yield the expected results, forcing the club to search for a new manager. Such frequent changes of coaches from the same national background may indicate both the Azerbaijani club's trust in the Ukrainian coaching school and systemic problems within the team's structure itself.

### Experience and Previous Appointments

For Maksymov, this is not his first stint in the Azerbaijani Premier League. From December 2017 to July 2018, he successfully coached Baku's Keshla (now Shamakhi), winning the Azerbaijan national Cup with them. Over his career, the coach has also led a number of well-known Ukrainian and foreign teams: Vorskla, Dnipro-1, Kryvbas, Obolon, and Donetsk's Metalurh. His last position in Ukraine was Poltava's Vorskla, which he left in the summer of 2025 after the team's relegation from the UPL. Thus, after a year away from the managerial chair, Maksymov has received a new challenge on the international stage.

### Context: Ukrainian Coaches Abroad

Maksymov's appointment fits into a broader trend: Ukrainian specialists continue to be in demand in the football leagues of the CIS and the South Caucasus. In parallel with his appointment, other coaches from Ukraine are actively working in Azerbaijani football, forming a kind of "Ukrainian school" in regional football. For Maksymov himself, working in Azerbaijan becomes an opportunity to restore his reputation after an unsuccessful final season in the UPL and to prove that his coaching potential is far from exhausted.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Ukrainian coach takes over a European club: he will save a bottom-of-the-table outcast](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/football/ukrayinskiy-trener-ocholiv-evropeyskiy-klub-1790233069.html) - Основной источник: пресс-служба клуба, детали контракта, турнирное положение, предыдущий опыт Максимова
- [Yuriy Maksymov: "The first task is to climb out of last place in the standings"](https://ua.tribuna.com/football/1000000378547-yuriy-maksymov-pershe-zavdannya-pidnyatysya-z-ostannoho/) - Прямая цитата тренера после назначения, подтверждает факт подписания контракта
- [Ukrainian specialist returns to Azerbaijan to save Aras-Nakhchivan](https://minval.az/news/124554355) - Азербайджанский источник подтверждает назначение и контекст кризиса клуба
- ["The team must believe in itself." Ukrainian coach takes over a championship outcast ...](https://sport.nv.ua/football/yuriy-maksimov-araz-ukrainskiy-trener-vozglavil-klub-iz-azerbaydzhana-50644014.html) - Дополнительная цитата Максимова, подтверждение факта назначения

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Until what date is Yuriy Maksymov's contract with Aras-Nakhchivan signed?
**A:** The agreement with the 57-year-old specialist runs until the end of the 2026/27 season.

### Q: What is Aras-Nakhchivan's current position in the standings?
**A:** After six rounds of the Azerbaijan championship, the club sits in last, 12th place in the table, with two points to their name.

### Q: Has Maksymov worked in Azerbaijan before?
**A:** Yes. From December 2017 to July 2018, he coached Baku's Keshla (now Shamakhi), winning the Azerbaijan national Cup with them.

### Q: Who coached Aras-Nakhchivan before Maksymov?
**A:** From January to May 2026, the team was led by Ukrainian coach Andriy Demchenko. Maksymov is the second Ukrainian manager at the club in recent times.