The 34-year-old piloted his country's quartet to success on the IBSF's flagship circuit last term, aided by pushers Alexey Zaitsev, Aleksei Pushkarev and Maxim Belugin.

They won two World Cup meetings - the opening leg of the season in Whistler in Canada and the concluding stage in Winter Olympic host Pyeongchang in South Korea.

Alexey Stulnev and Maxim Andrianov have also been named as Russian pilots for the new four-man and two man season.

Zaitsev and Pushkarev will both return, with Vasily Kondratenko, Ilvir Khuzin, Yuri Selikhov, Ruslan Samitov, Michail Mordasov, Kirill Antukh, Ilya Malykh, Petr Moiseev, Andrey Lylov and Roman Koshelev also named as pushers.

In women's bobsleigh, Russia have selected European Championships silver medallist Nadezhda Sergeeva as well as fellow pilot Alexandra Rodionova.

Four pushers have been named, Anastasia Kocherzhova, Yulia Shokshuyeva, Elena Mamedova and Yulia Belomestnykh.

The World Cup season will begin on November 5 in Lake Placid in the United States, prior to Pyeongchang 2018 in February.

Russia's participation at the Winter Olympics is still in doubt pending the results of two International Olympic Committee probes, which are investigating allegations of state-sponsored doping against the country.