Russia have appointed Latvian Oleg Znarok as head coach in place of Zinetula Bilyaletdinov who stepped down following the team's poor performance at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games, the national federation said Wednesday.

The 51-year-old, who will leave his position as Dynamo Moscow coach, will lead Russia at the world championships in Belarus in May.

"After a round of negotiations, we have decided to ask Oleg Znarok to take over as the head coach of the Russian ice hockey team," said Russian Hockey Federation President Vladislav Tretyak.

Bilyaletdinov quit earlier this month after Russia crashed out of the Sochi Winter Olympic Games at the quarterfinal stage, following a 3-1 defeat to Finland.

Znarok played for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics before becoming the captain of Latvia following the breakup of the Soviet Union.