Dmitry Gunko officially appointed Pyunik head coach

Yerevan club Pyunik have officially announced the appointment of Dmitry Gunko as their new head coach. The 50-year-old Armenian-Russian specialist returns to Armenian football, where he has achieved the biggest successes of his coaching career.

Gunko's most recent job was with Arsenal Tula, where he worked from June 2025 until September 2026.

Before that, the coach spent three seasons in charge of Urartu. His biggest achievement came in the 2022/23 season, when the team completed a domestic double by winning both the Armenian Premier League and the Armenian Cup. Gunko was also named the Armenian Premier League's best coach for that season.

Overall, Urartu played 119 matches under Gunko, recording 66 wins, 22 draws and 31 defeats.

Before joining Urartu, Gunko also coached other Armenian clubs. In November 2020, he took charge of Noah and guided the team to the silver medals in the Armenian championship that same season. He then became head coach of Ararat-Armenia, finishing second again in the 2021/22 campaign, just one point behind champions Pyunik.

A significant part of Gunko's coaching career is also linked with Spartak Moscow. He spent many years working within the club's system and twice won the Russian youth championship with Spartak's reserve side. In the spring of 2014, following Valery Karpin's departure, Gunko was appointed interim head coach of the first team. At the time, Armenia internationals Aras Özbiliz and Yura Movsisyan were part of the Spartak squad.

Gunko's coaching staff at Pyunik will include Dmitry Kudryashov, Nikolay Tyunin and Igor Menshchikov. Assistant coach Artur Avagyan and fitness coach Chiro Hosseini Vardey will also continue working with the team.

Pyunik have therefore entrusted the team to a coach who knows Armenian football well and has already won the country's major domestic trophies.