The 1996 Russian Second League was the fifth edition of Russian Second Division. There were 3 zones with 60 teams starting the competition (2 were excluded before the end of the season).
Zone West
Overview
Standings
Top goalscorers
33 goals
Ibragim Gasanbekov (FC Anzhi Makhachkala)
31 goals
Vitali Yermilov (FC Torpedo Taganrog)
29 goals
Sergei Lavrentyev (FC MChS-Selyatino Selyatino)
25 goals
Igor Lyakhov (FC Metallurg Lipetsk)
23 goals
Sergei Polstyanov (FC Metallurg Lipetsk)
17 goals
Vladimir Kharin (FC Lokomotiv Liski)
16 goals
Aleksandr Zhidkov (FC Metallurg Lipetsk)
15 goals
Andrei Bakalets (FC MChS-Selyatino Selyatino)
14 goals
Vladimir Ivanov (FC Gatchina)
13 goals
Isa Markhiyev (FC Angusht Nazran)
Zone Centre
Overview
Standings
Top goalscorers
34 goals
Konstantin Paramonov (FC Amkar Perm)
30 goals
Valeri Solyanik (FC CSK VVS-Kristall Smolensk)
27 goals
Aleksandr Kuzmichyov (FC Arsenal Tula)
25 goals
Aleksei Chernov (FC Lada Dimitrovgrad)
24 goals
Andrei Knyazev (FC Metallurg Magnitogorsk)
21 goals
Oleg Nechayev (FC Lada Dimitrovgrad)
20 goals
Vladimir Pantyushenko (FC Rubin Kazan)
19 goals
Oleg Sinelobov (FC Nosta Novotroitsk)
17 goals
Armen Adamyan (FC CSK VVS-Kristall Smolensk)
16 goals
Igor Palachyov (FC Nosta Novotroitsk)
Aleksandr Zaikin (FC Lada Dimitrovgrad)
Zone East
Overview
Standings
Top goalscorers
22 goals
Marat Mulashev (FC Irtysh Omsk)
18 goals
Sergei Ageyev (FC Viktoriya Nazarovo)
16 goals
Anatoli Kisurin (FC Dynamo Omsk)
14 goals
Sergei Rogalevskiy (FC Kuzbass Kemerovo)
13 goals
Sergei Shaporenko (FC Irtysh Omsk)
11 goals
Aleksandr Bogatyryov (FC Viktoriya Nazarovo)
Yevgeni Savin (FC Dynamo Barnaul)
10 goals
Maksim Shvetsov (FC SKA Khabarovsk)
9 goals
Stanislav Achkasov (FC Kuzbass Kemerovo)
Ruslan Akhidzhak (FC Tom Tomsk)
Stanislav Chaplygin (FC Metallurg-ZapSib Novokuznetsk)
Yury Khadaronak (FC Samotlor-XXI Nizhnevartovsk)
Sergei Kondratskiy (FC Irtysh Omsk)
Konstantin Orlov (FC Metallurg-ZapSib Novokuznetsk)