Zenit St Petersburg attacking pair Malcom and Claudinho have been granted Russian citizenship.

Claudinho and Malcom will now be able to play, from the beginning of 2023, for the Russian national team.

Zenit announced, on social media, that Vladimir Putin signed decree 118 and thus granted Russian nationality to the two Brazilians, who never played for their country's national team.

Malcom has been at Zenit since 2019, joining from Barcelona, while Claudinho has been a player for the former UEFA Cup winner since 2021 after arriving from RB Bragantino.