The return of top-level soccer to Chechnya after a gap of 14 years has been widely touted in Russia as a sign of the stabilization of the Chechen Republic after two brutal separatist wars in the 1990s and early 2000s. However, despite the relative calm, militants are still active in the region, most notably in neighboring Ingushetia.
Unprecedented security measures were taken before the match began at 7.00 p.m. Moscow time (16:00 GMT).
Over 1,500 police officers provided security at the recently renamed Sultan Bilimkhanov stadium, where father of the current Chechen president, Akhmad Kadyrov, was assassinated. The 10,200-capacity ground and neighboring areas were cleared by bomb disposal officers and police dogs before the match.
The presidential security service earlier announced that it would jam all mobile communications at the stadium during the event. A total of 30 closed circuit cameras carried out video surveillance at the ground.
Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, Samara Region Governor Vladimir Artyako and President of the Russian Football Union (RFU) Vitaly Mutko were among the VIP guests.
"Seven years ago nobody would have believed that Chechnya would host the first match of the Russian Premier League," Kadyrov said before the event. "Today it became a reality."
Entrance to the match was free and 10,000 tickets were given out in less than hour to local soccer fans.
